The Utah Utes have added two future home football games against the Dixie State Trailblazers, both schools announced on Friday.
Utah will host Dixie State for their first-ever meeting in football at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Thursday, Aug. 31, 2028. The two schools will then meet again two seasons later in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2030.
Dixie State is transitioning from Division II to the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The Trailblazers will playing as an FCS Independent beginning with the 2020 season.
“It seems like [the series] is a long ways out, but it will be here before we know it,” said DSU Head Football Coach Paul Peterson. “Our goal is to compete at the highest level of college football and the University of Utah is one of the best programs in the country. This will serve to boost our jump to [NCAA] D-1 competition, and with our fantastic leadership, upcoming new facilities, increased enrollment and overall growth here in St. George, we will be closer to competing at [Utah’s] level when this series happens.”
Currently, Dixie State’s first game against an FBS opponent is scheduled for Oct. 16, 2021 at the New Mexico State Aggies. Dixie State’s 11-game schedules in 2020 consist only of FCS and lower division opponents.
The addition of Dixie State in 2028 completes Utah’s non-conference schedule for that season. The Utes are also slated to host BYU on Sept. 9 and travel to play Arkansas on Sept. 16.
Dixie State is the fourth FCS opponent set for Utah’s future schedules. The Utes are also scheduled to host Montana State (2020), Weber State (2021, 2023), and Southern Utah (2022, 2024).
Football Schedules