2009 Football Schedule Announced

PROVO -- BYU’s 2009 football schedule was completed today with the release of the Mountain West Conference schedule. The MWC also announced broadcast plans and kickoff times for BYU’s games.

"I'm glad to see that we will be consistently playing Saturday games," BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall said. "This will be a great schedule for the fans and for our football team."

The Cougars will play 11 of 12 games on a Saturday this season, with the lone exception being the previously announced Friday night contest with Utah State on Oct. 2. BYU will appear on VERSUS, the CBS College Sports Network and the ESPN networks twice apiece with seven contests being broadcast on The Mtn., including a simulcast with CBS C of the BYU-Utah game on Nov. 28.

VERSUS and CBS College Sports Network are widely available on cable systems across the country and via satellite on DIRECTV (VERSUS-Channel 603/CBS C-Channel 613) and Dish Network (VERSUS-Channel 151/CBS C-Channel 152). The Mtn. is carried nationally by DIRECTV (Channel 616) and numerous cable operators representing over 200 municipalities in nine states.

BYU will start the 2009 season on Sept. 5 against nationally ranked Oklahoma in a historic game being played at the Dallas Cowboys new stadium in Arlington, Texas. As two of only seven teams to win 10 or more games each of the last three seasons, the Cougars and Sooners will be featured in the first college game played in the new stadium. The Labor Day weekend contest will kick off in primetime (specific time still to be determined) and be televised on ABC or ESPN as part of the second annual ESPN Kickoff Week presented by Gillette.

The game — just the second meeting between BYU and Oklahoma — is the first in a five-year agreement between the Dallas Cowboys and ESPN to bring an outstanding college football game to the club’s new stadium each year during the Labor Day holiday weekend. The Cougars won the first contest against the Sooners, earning a 31-6 victory at the 1994 Copper Bowl in Tucson, Ariz.

After facing Oklahoma, the Cougars will travel to New Orleans to play at Tulane in the Louisiana Superdome on Sept. 12. The game will be broadcast to a national television audience on ESPN2 in a 2:30 p.m. CT start. BYU will play its home opener the next week against Florida State on Sept. 19 in a 5 p.m. MT kick being broadcast nationally on VERSUS HD. Florida State will make its first-ever visit to Provo. The Seminoles won the two previous contests against the Cougars with a 44-28 win at the 1991 Pigskin Classic in Anaheim, Calif., and a 29-3 victory in the 2000 Pigskin Classic in Jacksonville, Fla.

BYU’s conference opener will be Sept. 26 against Colorado State in LaVell Edwards Stadium in a 4 p.m. contest televised on The Mtn. Following the team’s last nonconference game against Utah State on Friday, Oct. 2 at 7 p.m., the Cougars go on the road for league dates with UNLV (Oct. 10, 7 p.m. PT) and San Diego State (Oct. 17, 3 p.m. PT). All three of those contests will be broadcast on The Mtn.

The Cougars host TCU on Oct. 24 at 5:30 p.m. on VERSUS HD. The Horned Frogs finished last season ranked No. 7 in the nation and are one of six bowl teams BYU will play during the season. After a bye week, BYU returns to the road to face Wyoming (Nov. 7, 12 p.m. MT) and New Mexico (Nov. 14, 12 p.m. MT) in games carried on The Mtn.

After completing a stretch of four out of five games on the road, BYU finishes the regular season at home with games against Air Force and Utah. The Cougars and Falcons kick off at 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 21 before the 3 p.m. rivalry meeting with Utah on Nov. 28. CBS C will broadcast the Air Force game in HD, while The Mtn. will broadcast the Utah game in a simulcast with CBS C.

"In addition to our MWC games, we have a strong nonconference schedule with teams from the Big 12, ACC, Conference USA and the WAC," Mendenhall said. "We look forward to playing these games as we continue to work on improving our program and building on our past achievements.”

Since taking over a BYU program in 2005 that had not enjoyed a winning season since 2001, Mendenhall has guided BYU to four straight bowl invitations, two outright Mountain West Conference championships and consistent national top-25 rankings. In the past three seasons, BYU is one of just eight teams to be ranked in the final USA Today Coaches poll and one of just nine programs to be ranked in the final BCS standings and Associated Press Top 25. BYU has posted a 32-7 overall record during that timeframe to become one of just seven teams in the nation to win 32 games, joining Boise State (35-4), Florida (34-6), Oklahoma (34-7), USC (34-5), Ohio State (33-5), and Texas (32-7).

2009 BYU FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Saturday, September 5    vs. Oklahoma*        TBD           TBD (ESPN OR ABC)
Saturday, September 12   at Tulane            2:30 PM CT    ESPN2
Saturday, September 19   Florida State        5:00 PM MT    VERSUS HD
Saturday, September 26   Colorado State       4:00 PM MT    The Mtn.
Friday, October 2        Utah State           7:00 PM MT    The Mtn.
Saturday, October 10     at UNLV              7:00 PM PT    The Mtn.
Saturday, October 17     at San Diego State   3:00 PM PT    The Mtn.
Saturday, October 24     TCU                  5:30 PM MT    VERSUS HD
Saturday, November 7     at Wyoming          12:00 PM MT    The Mtn.
Saturday, November 14    at New Mexico       12:00 PM MT    The Mtn.
Saturday, November 21    Air Force            1:30 PM MT    CBS C - HD
Saturday, November 28    Utah                 3:00 PM MT    CBS C & The Mtn.
*Played in Arlington, Texas, Dallas Cowboys Stadium