2014 football schedule announced

PROVO, Utah (Feb. 24, 2014) — Brigham Young University today announced its 2014 football schedule. The 12-game independent slate features teams from 10 states and seven conferences, including the American Athletic, Atlantic Coast, Big 12, Pac-12, Conference USA, Mountain West and Mid-Eastern Athletic.

“I’m pleased with the way this schedule came together. I think it has good balance,” said BYU director of athletics Tom Holmoe. “I like playing in different regions of the country, including several places we’ve never been. It’s a unique opportunity for our football team and great for Cougar Nation.”

The Cougars will play six home games and six road contests in 2014. BYU will face teams that hail from Connecticut, Virginia, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Idaho, Nevada and California, including seven programs—Texas, Houston, Utah State, Central Florida, Boise State, Middle Tennessee and UNLV—that qualified for a bowl game last season.

BYU opens the 2014 season on the road at the University of Connecticut on Friday, Aug. 29 in a nationally featured contest on ESPN. The matchup marks the first meeting between the Cougars and the Huskies of the AAC and also the first time BYU has played a game in the state of Connecticut.

The Cougars stay on the road the following week for a Saturday, Sept. 6 rematch with the Texas Longhorns of the Big 12. The game in Austin at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium will be the fifth meeting between the two schools, with BYU owning a 3-1 series advantage after a 40-21 victory in Provo last season. Texas won the previous meeting in Austin, 17-16, in 2011.

BYU’s home opener at LaVell Edwards Stadium takes place on Thursday, Sept. 11 when the Houston Cougars of the AAC make their first visit to Provo for a nationally televised matchup on ESPN. BYU and Houston met for the first time last season in a memorable 47-46 BYU win at Reliant Stadium in Houston.

BYU stays at home the following week to host Virginia of the ACC on Saturday, Sept. 20. The Cavaliers own a 3-1 lead in the series after a weather-delayed 19-16 victory over the Cougars in Charlottesville to open the 2013 season. Virginia won the only previous matchup in Provo, 45-40, on Sept. 25, 1999.

The first of two byes on the 2014 schedule precedes the third game of a BYU home stand that brings in-state rival Utah State to Provo on Friday, Oct. 3. The Cougars defeated the Aggies 31-14 in Logan last year before USU went on to claim the MW Mountain Division title. This year’s game will be the 84th meeting in the longtime rivalry that started in Provo in 1922. BYU holds a 46-34-3 overall advantage in the series.

The first of two road games in October takes place in Orlando when BYU travels to take on the University of Central Florida Knights of the AAC. BYU’s first-ever visit to Bright House Networks Stadium is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 11 (see update below). The Cougars won the inaugural matchup in Provo in 2011 with a 24-17 victory over the Knights, who are coming off a 12-1 season and No. 10 final ranking in 2013.

BYU returns home to host Nevada on Saturday, Oct. 18 before closing out the month of October at Boise State on Saturday, Oct. 25 (see update below). The Cougars faced both MW teams in 2013, achieving a 28-23 win over the Wolf Pack in Reno and a 37-20 victory against the Broncos in Provo. Dating back to the first game in 1929, the Cougars own a 5-2-2 record against the Wolf Pack, while trailing BSU 3-1 in a series that began in 2003.

Next, BYU will make its first regular-season visit to the state of Tennessee when it faces Middle Tennessee in Murfreesboro on Saturday, Nov. 1. The Cougars and Blue Raiders of C-USA met for the first time last season in Provo with BYU earning a 37-10 victory.

After a bye week, BYU hosts UNLV in Provo in a rematch of former MW foes. The Rebels come to Provo on Saturday, Nov. 15 to resume a series dating back to 1978. The Cougars won the last meeting as a member of the Mountain West, a 55-7 victory at LaVell Edwards Stadium in 2010, and lead the overall series 15-3.

The Cougars conclude the season with a home game versus Savannah State of the MEAC and a road contest at California of the Pac-12. The first-ever game against the Tigers takes place on Saturday, Nov. 22, while BYU’s fourth meeting with the Golden Bears will be played on Saturday, Nov. 29. The Cougars won the only previous contest at California Memorial Stadium, 44-16 in 2001, and lead the overall series 2-1. The Bears achieved a 35-28 victory at the 2005 Las Vegas Bowl the last time the two schools met.

In all, BYU will play seven teams it faced in 2013. The Cougars earned a 6-1 record in those games. The five new games on the 2014 schedule include two first-time opponents in UConn and Savannah State. With road trips to six different states from coast-to-coast, the Cougars will amass 14,596 round-trip miles in 2014 — only to Hawai’i and Idaho (seven road games) will log more miles.

Additional details regarding broadcast plans, game times and tickets information for 2014 BYU football schedule will be released as the information becomes available.

UPDATE (March 11, 2014): The BYU at Central Florida game has been changed to Thursday, Oct. 9 and will be televised nationally on ESPN.

UPDATE (April 10, 2014): The BYU at Boise State game has been changed to Friday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. MT and will be televised nationally on ESPN or ESPN2.

UPDATE (May 29, 2014): Game times and television plans have been set for road games at Texas (6:30 p.m. CT/5:30 p.m. MT on FOX Sports 1) and Middle Tennessee (2:30 p.m. CT/1:30 p.m. MT on CBS Sports Network).

UPDATE (June 4, 2014): Game times and television plans have been set for home games against Houston (7 p.m. MT on ESPN), Utah State (8:15 p.m. on ESPN) and Savannah State (1 p.m. on BYUtv).

UPDATE (Sept. 8, 2014): Game time and television plans have been set for the home game against Virginia (1:30 p.m. MT on ESPN).