PROVO -- Brigham Young University today announced its 2005 non-conference football schedule, including home games against Boston College and Eastern Illinois University. The Cougars will also travel to South Bend, Ind., to take on Notre Dame to round off the non-conference slate.
"Scheduling these three non-conference opponents gives us a well balanced schedule for next season," BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall said. "We'll be playing two of the great football programs in the country, as well as a solid, well-established I-AA program, which I believe is good for college football.
"Our non-conference schedule has the balance we're looking for. We will have the ability to measure ourselves against some very good programs. In addition, this schedule will create positive, national exposure for our program."
BYU is scheduled to open the season in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 3, taking on Boston College. Under the direction of Head Coach Tom O'Brien, the Golden Eagles tied for the Big East championship in 2004 with a 9-3 overall record, including notable victories over Penn State, Notre Dame and West Virginia. BC capped a superb season with a 37-24 victory over North Carolina in the Continental Tire Bowl on Dec. 30.
The two teams last met during the 1985 season in the annual Kickoff Classic at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, resulting in a 28-14 BYU victory. This year's game will mark the Golden Eagles' first-ever trip to Provo.
The Cougars will round out their 2005 non-conference schedule with a return trip to South Bend, Ind., on Oct. 22, marking the final contest of a three-year series against Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish finished the 2004 regular season with 6-5 record, but dropped a 31-28 decision to Oregon State in the Insight.com Bowl in Tempe, Ariz. on Dec. 28 to finish 6-6 overall.
Like the Cougars, Notre Dame will be under the direction of a new head coach. After the 2004 season, the Fighting Irish named New England Patriots' assistant coach, Charlie Weis, as the 28th head football coach of the storied program.
As a 15-year NFL veteran, Weis helped New England to three Super Bowl victories, including Sunday's 24-21 victory over Philadelphia in Super Bowl XXXIX.
After a disappointing 33-14 loss at Notre Dame in 2003, the Cougars picked up a 20-17 win over the Irish in Provo to open the 2004 season. The 2005 match-up will mark the sixth meeting between the two teams. Notre Dame owns a 3-2 record against the Cougars, including a mark of 2-1 in South Bend.
The BYU-Notre Dame game will be broadcast nationally on NBC, beginning at 1:30 p.m. (EST).
On Saturday, Sept. 10, the Cougars will play host to NCAA Division I-AA opponent Eastern Illinois University. The game, which will ensure the Cougars of having six homes games during the season, will mark the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
Looking to add a sixth home game to round out the Cougars' home schedule, Senior Associate Athletics Director Peter Pilling said Eastern Illinois was the perfect fit.
"We contacted several I-A and I-AA football programs in an effort to schedule a quality, I-AA opponent," Pilling said. "When we looked at Eastern Illinois, it made a lot of sense for both programs--from both a scheduling and a financial standpoint."
Under NCAA provisions, I-A member institutions are permitted to play I-AA teams once every four seasons without affecting a team's bowl eligibility. With 11 games on the 2005 schedule, including eight league games, the Cougars will need to win at least six games in order to become eligible for a post-season bowl invitation.
Eastern Illinois, which returns nine offensive starters and eight defensive starters next season, has been to the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs nine times, including three straight appearances from 2000-2002. The Panthers have posted eight winning seasons in the last 11 years.
While the game will mark the Cougars' first against an NCAA Division I-AA opponent since defeating Murray State, 47-12, in 1998, Eastern Illinois has played 25 games against I-A opponents since the 1982 season. Over that span, the Panthers have registered six wins, including victories over Akron (three times), Western Michigan and Northern Illinois. Last season, EIU edged Eastern Michigan, 31-28, to record its sixth all-time victory over a I-A opponent.
Over the past two seasons, five of the eight current Mountain West Conference teams have played a combined 10 games against NCAA Division I-AA opponents, posting a perfect 10-0 record.
Pilling added the agreement with Eastern Illinois is for the 2005 season only.
While dates have yet to be determined for league opponents, the Cougars are scheduled to play Colorado State, Air Force, Texas Christian and Utah at home next season. BYU will travel to New Mexico, UNLV, San Diego State and Wyoming.
It is anticipated the Mountain West Conference will release the league schedule in March.
2005 Non-conference Schedule
Date Opponent Location Time TV
Sept. 3 Boston College Provo TBA TBA
Sept. 10 Eastern Illinois Provo TBA TBA
Oct. 22 Notre Dame South Bend 1:30 p.m. NBC