According to comments made yesterday by Utah athletics director Chris Hill, the BYU Cougars are scheduling a three-game football series with the Stanford Cardinal beginning in 2020.
Hill’s comment on BYU-Stanford came while talking to reporters after he announced that Utah and BYU were close to completing a contract to play in 2017 and 2018.
Neither BYU or Stanford have made an official announcement yet, so it’s not clear if the two teams have a signed contract or are in discussions for a series.
If it’s a three-game series as Hill mentioned, it would certainly be a 2-for-1 in Stanford’s favor.
BYU and Stanford have met twice in their history, a home-and-home series played in 2003 in Provo and 2004 in Stanford. The Cardinal beat the Cougars 18-14 and 37-10, respectively.
Last month, BYU announced a similar 2-for-1 series with the USC Trojans. The Cougars will host USC in 2019 and will travel to Los Angeles in 2021 and 2023. The two road games are both on Thanksgiving weekend.
With USC lined up for 2019, 2021, and 2023, some are speculating that the Cougars will likely play Stanford in 2020, 2022, and 2024.
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What is most interesting is that for months Utah claimed they couldn't play BYU because of scheduling rules. Just after the BYU-USC series was announced things seemed to get rolling with Utah making real effort to appease the entire state.
The real reason Utah doesn't want to keep playing BYU is that it's a home and home series. Utah is better off playing other MWC team in a 2 for 1 basis. BYU plays other Pac12 teams 2 for 1. It's all about the money folks.
Utah is trying to act like Texas A&M and show off like they're the more important team in the state, when the opposite is true.
BYU should move on. They don't need Utah. Utah is going to be a Pac-12 bottom-feeder forever. BYU has better aspirations.
http://stholeary.blogspot.com
Independence has been good for BYU. I can watch their games and they play a better variety of teams. The November schedules are now better.
The only issue I have is that in the past, UCLA, USC, Penn State, Washington, FL State, Texas.... used to schedule a home and away. It now appears that more schools (AZ, Wisconsin, USC, Stanford, Texas...) are now asking for 2 for 1s and other schools are too lame to visit BYU at home (Michigan and Nebraska).
I guess, when BYU wins more of the bigger games, then they can start demanding home and home again. Hopefully, it starts again with the 2013 season.
Go Cougars.
Hmmm, another wrench in ending the season with USC-UCLA & Cal-Stanford! Seems like those games will get relegated to the second-to last week, with maybe Cal-UCLA becoming a last weekend game, and USC and Stanford rotating with Notre Dame and BYU to end the season.
The biggest thing that boggles my mind is USC, Stanford, Utah, Arizona, and Washington State are all willing to schedule BYU, so why is there an issue in inviting them into the PAC-12? Certainly Cal doesn't hold that much weight in blocking them?
My understanding was BYU cannot get Pac 12 invite because they won't play sports on Sunday
You all at BYU have been duped into believing the only reason BYU doesn't get into the Pac12 is that Cal and Stanford are blocking BYU from the league because of politics or religion. Nope! Both Cal and Stanford regularly play BYU in many sports, and would welcome BYU as a member if inviting them made financial sense to the Pac12. Right now it doesn't. In the future? Maybe.
I heard people talking about BYU filling in the "Notre Dame" bye week for USC and Stanford in November 2 years ago. Glad that it is finally coming to pass. Until recently, I would have been fine if BYU passed on a Stanford game. Now that they are good, I'm excited to watch.
Also add Oregon St. and Washington, two teams they played in past few seasons.
Scheduling a school to play football and inviting them to join the conference are two completely different things. All these upcoming exemptions to the September only Pac12 rule are a result of giving one to ND in the beginning. It threw a predicted wrench into future schedules, allowing schools to play BYU in November helps smooth things out. Win, win.
You are correct that scheduling to play a school and inviting them to a conference are two different things. However, the argument has been that BYU's religion & politics don't sit well with some of the liberal-minded institutions of the PAC-12. Why does it sit well with those institutions to schedule BYU regularly then? If it's an issue to invite them to the conference, then it should be an issue to play them! Seems like they would be a natural fit in the PAC-12 since they already have or will play three quarters of the league!
University presidents determine conference membership. Scheduling is the job of the athletic director. If it were up to the athletic directors BYU would have been in the PAC many years ago. If it was all about money, BYU would have been in the PAC years ago, as they always help to pack the stadium wherever they go. Religion may play a part in it, but there is also the fact that BYU is almost exclusively an undergraduate school with very few graduate degree programs. While several of the PAC schools are not as good academically as BYU is, they are still all classified as very high research universities by the Carnegie Institute because of the number of graduate programs that they have.
Possibly a 2-for-1, but also conceivably a 1-1-1.
It's probably a 1-1-1 where we will play the "neutral" game somewhere close to Stanford. Holmoe will then falsely claim that the "neutral" site location far from Provo and close to Stanford somehow gives BYU an advantage.
BYU's fan base is large and broad, especially in the west.
A neutral site game, in a storied stadium, is indeed home away from home for BYU. Wherever it may be. 1-1-1 games are becoming quite fashionable for many programs.
Coupled with a home and home, it's a nice setup.
Don't fret, BYU's scheduling is coming along just fine.
2018 & 2020-2024 are 14 week seasons. But so are 2015-2017. We could see an ASU or another school schedule BYU (or Army or MAC-13 team league) Thanksgiving weekend.
Don't do it USC and Stanford. BYU offers little to nothing to the PAC-12 being an independent.
What exactly do you mean by "it"?
Thanks for that *enlightening* comment, BYU *troll* for life... lol.
Um, I know that you are trolling, but:
1) BYU fills a need for both USC and Stanford. Both teams would have a bye in their November schedule because of ND. BYU fills that bye spot.
2) BYU adds strength to their schedules.
3) BYU adds importance to the game, which equals TV and fans in the seats (+ BYU fans)
4) Many BYU undergrads go to Stanford afterwards. Helps with recruiting.
Win/Win for all schools involved.
they just want to play BYU as payback for BYU stealing Kevienga (USC) and Taysom Hill (Stanford)
Why won't any of these Pac 12 south schools schedule Boise State? Only Oregon, OSU, Washington and WSU have played or scheduled them.
Because Boise St. is not BYU
Wouldn't the correct question be why does the northern Pac12 school schedule Boise State? However to be fair and answer your question: 1) 67K is larger than 37K, 2) it's easier for southern Pac12 fans to get to SLC (Provo) than Boise, 3) as pointed out, BYU is willing to do 2 for 1s.
They won't schedule Boise State because they don't see them as 'traditional' equals, and fear losing to them. Can you imagine the 'shame' USC alumni would feel losing to BSU? They don't want to be in the same conversation as Boise State vs Oklahoma.
Is BSU willing to give 2-for-1's? If Boise is willing to do so (like BYU evidently is), I'm sure plenty of Pac schools would schedule Boise.