Bama Central

Report: Alabama Could Potentially Play BYU in 2020

Alabama could potentially face BYU for just the second time in its history

Christopher Walsh

According to AL.com, if Alabama football does play non-conference games in the fall, there's a "strong possibility" it could face BYU.

Alabama has already had its season opener against Southern California, scheduled for Sept. 5 in Arlington, Texas, canceled after the Pac-12 decided to go with a conference-only schedule in the fall, if it plays. 

BYU, meanwhile, which is independent, had already seen its entire schedule for September canceled. It was set to open at Utah on Sept. 3, then host Michigan State before visiting both Arizona State and Minnesota. Like the Pac-12, the Big Ten had opted for conference-only games in 2020. 

The Cougars also had Stanford on its schedule, Nov. 28, leaving BYU scrambling to try and find opponents for its schedule. 

Two other home games of note for BYU are vs. Missouri on Oct. 10, and North Alabama on Nov. 21. 

Matt Zenitz had the initial report for Al.coim 

On Friday, Peach Bowl CEO Gary Stokan mentioned on the Thom Abraham radio show that Notre Dame might be a possibility for Alabama to face in its season opener — the schools had already agreed to a home-and-home in 2028 and 2029. 

However, the Fighting Irish have Navy scheduled for that weekend, and the idea was quickly shot down by Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne. 

He tweeted: "Looking forward to our future H&H series w/@NDFootball. However, contrary to reports, we will not be playing this season."

BYU went 7-6 last season, including a double-overtime 29-26 victory at Tennessee on Sept. 7, a week before topping USC in overtime, 30-27. 

Alabama and BYU have only faced once before, a 38-31 victory for the Crimson Tide in 1998. The season opener was ironically played on Sept. 5. 

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Christopher Walsh
CHRISTOPHER WALSH

Christopher Walsh is the founder and publisher of BamaCentral, which first published in 2018. He's covered the Crimson Tide since 2004, and is the author of 26 books including Decade of Dominance, 100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Nick Saban vs. College Football, and Bama Dynasty: The Crimson Tide's Road to College Football Immortality. He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.

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