BYU's Future Non-Conference Schedules Are Different From Big 12 Peers

Casey Lundquist | Jul 5, 2024

Sep 16, 2023; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; BYU Cougars players and fans celebrate after the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. BYU won 38-31. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports / Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

On Wednesday, Colorado State announced a home-and-home series with BYU. BYU will travel to Colorado State to take on the Rams on September 19th, 2026. Colorado State will make the return trip to Provo a few years later on September 8th, 2029. Now that BYU has a road game scheduled at Colorado State, BYU has scheduled non-conference road games against G5 opponents for three consecutive years from 2024-2026.

BYU will travel to play at Wyoming this September. In 2025, BYU is scheduled to play at ECU. In 2026, BYU will play at Colorado State. BYU's non-conference schedule is different from its Big 12 peers.

It's rare for Big 12 teams to play road games against G5 opponents in three consecutive seasons. On average, Big 12 teams (including the Pac-12 newcomers) played road games against G5 teams every 2-3 years from 2021-2024. In that time, only Kansas played road games against G5 teams in three consecutive years. Even Kansas has adapted and moved away from that strategy. The Jayhawks don't have a road game scheduled against a G5 team until 2027 when they will play at Washington State. At the time that game was scheduled, Washington State was a member of the power conferences.

The remaining Big 12 teams typically space out G5 road games. Unless there is a rivalry involved like Colorado-Colorado State or TCU-SMU, Big 12 teams will play G5 road games once every three years. West Virginia has taken the most extreme stance against G5 road games: they don't play them.

Other Big 12 teams are flexing their muscles in the scheduling department. BYU has not, at least not yet. BYU's 2024 non-conference schedule is already unlike other Big 12 teams. It doesn't look like BYU is concerned about changing its scheduling strategy moving forward.

It will be fascinating to see what BYU decides to do in 2027. Remember, the Cougars will have played road games against G5 teams from 2024-2026. BYU already has home games against Weber State and SMU on the schedule in 2027. Will BYU schedule another road game against a G5 team? Playing G5 road games in four consecutive seasons would be unheard of for a Power Four team. Will BYU play three non-conference home games? Scheduling another home game would give BYU seven home games in 2027.

BYU can't afford to be on the wrong side of P4 scheduling trends. The next five years are critical for BYU to prove it can belong in the power conference ranks in case there is another landscape change in college football.

The current non-conference scheduling strategy subjects BYU to undue risks. After years of waiting, BYU has a Big 12 patch on its uniform. Now BYU needs to schedule like its Big 12 peers.