The BYU Cougars have officially announced their 2016 football schedule, which includes games against Arizona, Michigan State, Mississippi State, UCLA, and Utah.
BYU opens the 2016 season on Saturday, Sept. 3 against the Arizona Wildcats at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The following week on Sept. 10, the Cougars travel to take on arch-rival Utah.
The Cougars then host the UCLA Bruins at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Sept. 17 before traveling for another neutral-site game, this time against West Virginia at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland on Sept. 24.
BYU returns home to host Toledo on Friday, Sept. 30. The Cougars then visit Michigan State on Oct. 8, host Mississippi State on Friday, Oct. 14, and travel to Boise State on Thursday, Oct. 20.
After an off week, BYU travels to face Cincinnati on Nov. 5. The Cougars close the 2015 season with three consecutive home games – Southern Utah (Nov. 12), UMass (Nov. 19), and Utah State (Nov. 26).
BYU has already accepted an invitation to play in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl. The Cougars will face a team from the Mountain West provided that they are bowl-eligible and not selected to the College Football Playoff or New Year’s Six.
- 09/03 – vs. Arizona (at Phoenix Stadium)
- 09/10 – at Utah
- 09/17 – UCLA
- 09/24 – vs. West Virginia (at FedEx Field)
- 09/30 – Toledo (Friday)
- 10/8 – at Michigan State
- 10/14 – Mississippi State (Friday)
- 10/20 – at Boise State (Thursday)
- 10/29 – Bye
- 11/5 – at Cincinnati
- 11/12 – Southern Utah
- 11/19 – UMass
- 11/26 – Utah State
BYU”s ideal opponent for if they make the Poinsettia Bowl would be San Diego State. Sure it consigns the Cougars to an effective road game, but they have beaten the Aztecs in this bowl before, despite SDSU’s outstanding home record this decade.
Schedule is front loaded 6 of vs 7 vs P5’s and then Boise as the 8th game.
Whyyy is the BYU-Boise game on Thursday October 20? Miami at Virginia Tech has already been announced as an ESPN game that same day. Surely ESPN won’t do a double header with Miami-VT at 7 and BYU-Boise at 10-something on a worknight. That’s probably the best annual G5 regular season game going outside of Army-Navy.
Will probably be broadcast on CBS SN
Boise State has a contract for all home games to air on ESPN, unless both ESPN and CBSSN feel there is a BSU road game that will be better in which case they can swap one road and home game, so it can’t be a CBSSN game.
Interesting that BYU would take its bye the week after a Thursday game. I would have scheduled it before the Boise State game. In fact, it’s boggling why BYU would schedule a Saturday game followed up by a Friday game followed up by a Thursday game. Also, BYU plays another Friday game following a trip out east to play West Virginia in DC. All very strange.
With BYU not belonging to a conference the Cougars should consider playing a game on Championship Saturday (first Saturday of December) every year. That’ll give them two byes each year (or three in some years) or the opportunity for a 13th game if they play at Hawai’i. They most certainly have the flexibility to do it.
The byes are often dictated by when opponents can be scheduled rather than being a chosen week.
The most suitable opponent for the first weekend of December would be UMass. I think snow keeps them from that weekend. An extra open weekend would open lost of scheduling flexibility for both. NMSU could fit this need too.
I don’t see them even making a bowl game with this schedule.
Then you don’t know BYU football.
Yeah I do, it’s a bunch of 27 year olds that give opposing teams cheap shots and blow out their ACLs.
Shep, you’re thinking of the Oakland Raiders.