Big 12 announces kickoff times and television plans for early season games

DALLAS — The Big 12 Conference today announced the kickoff times and network designations for more than 40 conference football games during the first few weeks of the 2023 schedule, including BYU's home games with Sam Houston, Southern Utah and Cincinnati, as well as the road contest at Arkansas. 

BYU opens its inaugural season as a member of the Big 12 Conference at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 2 versus Sam Houston at 8:15 p.m. MT on FS1. 

The Bearkats, who won the 2020-21 FCS National Championship, will be making the move to the Football Bowl Subdivision and Conference USA after competing at the FCS level since 1984. The game in Provo will be the first meeting between BYU and Sam Houston from Huntsville, Texas.

BYU will then welcome FCS foe Southern Utah to Provo the following week on Saturday, Sept. 9, in a game scheduled for 1 p.m. MT on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.

The Cougars defeated the Thunderbirds, 37-7, at LaVell Edwards Stadium during the 2016 season in the only previous meeting between the in-state schools. Southern Utah went 5-6 in 2022, including a 17-7 win over Sam Houston in the regular-season finale.

BYU will then travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to face the Arkansas Razorbacks of the Southeastern Conference on Saturday, Sept. 16 at 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2.

The game, played at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, marks BYU’s first-ever football contest in the state of Arkansas. The Cougars hosted the Razorbacks in 2022 with Arkansas earning a 52-35 victory. 

In addition to the opening three weeks of the season, the Big 12 also announced the kickoff time and television plans for the conference's six special date conference matchups, including the Cougars’ first conference home game at LaVell Edwards Stadium. BYU and fellow conference newcomer Cincinnati will meet in a Friday night matchup on Sept. 29 at 8:15 p.m. MT on ESPN.

The Cougars and Bearcats last met in a two-game, home-and-home series played in 2015 and 2016 while Cincinnati was a member of the American Athletic Conference and BYU as an independent. The Cougars won both games, earning a 38-24 win in Provo in 2015 followed by a 20-3 triumph at Cincinnati in Sitake’s first season in 2016.

The Big 12’s six special date selections include two league games scheduled for Thursday night broadcasts while four will be played on Fridays, including a “Black Friday” double-header as the regular season wraps up over Thanksgiving weekend.

The Dr Pepper Big 12 Football Championship will return to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas for the ninth year. The game is slated for Saturday, December 2 with an 11:00 a.m. kickoff on ABC. The Big 12 had the second-highest attendance of last season’s conference title games with 69,335 spectators. The Championship delivered 9.4M viewers on ABC, the most-watched Big 12 Championship since 2018. It peaked at 12.7M viewers, the most of any conference championship across all networks.

The remainder of the season’s television selections will be announced on a 12-day or six-day notice via Big12Sports.com and the Conference’s official digital platforms. Read more about the Big 12 schedule release. 

2023 BYU Football Schedule