BYU, Big 12 announce 2026 football schedule

Games Played: 1
Overall Series: 1-0
at BYU: 1-0
at Utah Tech: -
Neutral: -
Last game: 2022 (BYU won 52-26 in Provo)

The Utah Tech Trailblazers make their second visit to LaVell Edwards Stadium in the season opener on Saturday, September 5.  

The two schools previously met in 2022 and BYU won 52-26 behind a career-high 456 passing yards and six total touchdowns (5 passing, 1 rushing) from quarterback Jaren Hall. Keanu Hill had six receptions for 137 yards and three touchdowns in the game while Jakob Robinson had an interception to lead the defense.

Utah Tech, from the Football Championship Subdivision, went 2-10 last season, including a 1-7 mark in the United Athletic Conference. The Trailblazers are heading into the Big Sky Conference in 2026.

Head coach Lance Anderson will be entering his 3rd year as the head coach of Utah Tech. Anderson has been coaching since 1997, spending 2007-2022 at Stanford, including nine seasons as defensive coordinator and five as associate head coach.

Games Played: 27
Overall Series: 14-12-1
at BYU: 5-3-0
at Arizona: 7-8-1
Neutral: 2-1-0
Last game: 2025 (BYU won 33-27 2OT at Arizona)

Arizona visits Provo for an early Big 12 Conference matchup on Sept. 12.

The two schools previously met last season in an overtime classic, with BYU coming back from down 10 points in the fourth quarter to force overtime.

Quarterback Bear Bachmeier rushed it in from two yards out to score in the final minute of regulation before a field goal in the first overtime set up another Bachmeier touchdown to go ahead. BYU’s defense held to secure the 33-27 double-overtime win in Tucson. Parker Kingston had 117 receiving yards and running back LJ Martin ran for 162 and a score. Linebacker Siale Esera had a career-best 16 tackles in the win.

Arizona went 9-4 last season and finished tied for the third-best record in the Big 12 at 6-3. The Wildcats return quarterback Noah Fifita for his senior season after being selected All-Big 12 First Team in 2025.

Head coach Brent Brennan returns for his third season leading the Arizona program. Brennan also spent time as the head coach at San Jose State for seven seasons before taking over in Tucson.

Games Played: 69
Overall Series: 39-27-3
at BYU: 21-12-0
at Colorado State: 17-15-3
Neutral: 1-0-0
Last game: 2010 (BYU won 49-10 in Fort Collins)

BYU plays its first road game Sept. 19 at Colorado State in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Most recently, the two schools spent the 1999-2010 seasons in the Mountain West Conference together, along with previous stints together in the WAC, Rocky Mountain and Mountain States conferences dating back to the first matchup in 1922.

The last time the two schools played was in 2010 in Fort Collins when BYU won big, 49-10 behind 526 yards of total offense. Wideout Luke Ashworth scored four touchdowns in the win.

The Rams had a down year in 2025, going 2-10 and 1-7 in their final year in the Mountain West Conference before moving to the remade Pac-12 in 2026.

Colorado State hired Jim Mora Jr. as its new head coach for the 2026 season. Mora has been coaching football for more than four decades, including serving as a head coach in the NFL for the Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks, along with college head coaching gigs at UCLA and UConn.

Games Played: 13
Overall Series: 6-7
at BYU: 4-2
at TCU: 2-4
Neutral: 0-1
Last game: 2025 (BYU won 44-13 in Provo)

After its lone bye week of the 2026 season, BYU travels to Fort Worth October 3 to take on the Horned Frogs of TCU at Amon G. Carter Stadium.

Last year, BYU played arguably its best game of the season against TCU in Provo with a 44-13 bounce-back victory after losing to Texas Tech the week prior.

The Cougar defense held star TCU quarterback Josh Hoover to just 10 of 23 passing for 183 yards, intercepting him twice and sacking him a season-high four times. The Horned Frogs went just 1 of 10 on third down and Faletau Satuala and Tanner Wall each had interceptions, including a 68-yard pick-six from Wall.

TCU finished 2025 with a 9-4 overall record, 5-4 in the Big 12 and after losing BYU, closed out its season with three consecutive wins, including a 30-27 overtime win against USC in the Alamo Bowl.

Sonny Dykes returns to TCU for his fifth season leading the Horned Frogs, earning a 36-17 record at TCU. He is 107-80 overall as a head coach with stints at TCU, SMU, Cal and Louisiana Tech.

Games Played: 6
Overall Series: 1-5
at BYU: 0-3
at Iowa State: 1-2
Neutral: -
Last game: 2025 (BYU won 41-27 in Ames)

BYU returns to LaVell Edwards Stadium to host Iowa State on October 10.

Last year the Cougars got their first win over the Cyclones in a dominant comeback effort. After going down 24-10 in the second quarter, BYU rallied with a 31-3 run to close out the game and get a road win in Ames.

Iowa State finished the year 8-4 and with a coaching change opted not to pursue any postseason opportunities.

The Cyclones hired Jimmy Rogers to lead the program in his first season in 2026. Rogers was most recently at Washington State for one season as the head man after coming over from South Dakota State for two seasons. He led the Washington State Cougars to 6-6 in 2025 after a successful run with the Jackrabbits, including a perfect 15-0 season and FCS title in 2023.

Games Played: 9
Overall Series: 2-7
at BYU: 1-1
at Notre Dame: 1-5
Neutral: 0-1
Last game: 2022 (Notre Dame won 28-20 in Las Vegas)

In a much-anticipated matchup, BYU welcomes the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to Provo on October 17.

Notre Dame heads to Provo for the first time in more than 20 years after the last visit in 2004. BYU won that game 20-17 in a defensive battle where neither team broke 300 total yards. The last matchup between the two teams was in 2022 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas as part of the Shamrock Series for the Irish. Notre Dame won 28-20.

The Irish went 10-2 last season, earning a No. 10 final ranking despite missing out on the college football playoff and opting to skip any bowl game opportunities.

Marcus Freeman continues as the head coach at Notre Dame. Freeman enters his sixth season leading the Irish after compiling a 43-12 record, including a 14-2 mark in 2024 when he earned multiple coach of the year awards and led the Irish to the College Football Playoff national championship game.

Games Played: 5
Overall Series: 4-1
at BYU: 2-0
at Notre Dame: 1-1
Neutral: 1-0
Last game: 2025 (BYU won 41-21 in Provo)

BYU plays in Orlando on Oct. 24 to take on the UCF Knights.

The Cougars played UCF in the 2025 regular-season finale in Provo, coming back from a 14-0 deficit early to win 41-21 on senior day. Bear Bachmeier was near-perfect, completing 21 of 25 passes for 289 yards and one touchdown while LJ Martin scored three touchdowns on the ground. Jack Kelly had two sacks and Evan Johnson had an interception to lead BYU’s defense.

UCF went 5-7 and 2-7 in the Big 12 in 2025 in Scott Frost’s return to lead the program for his second stint as head coach.

Frost led UCF in 2016 and 2017 where the Knights went 13-0 and won the Peach Bowl before his exit to coach Nebraska from 2018-2022. After spending a year with the LA Rams in 2024, Frost returned to the head job at UCF in 2025.

Games Played: 29
Overall Series: 8-21
at BYU: 4-8
at Arizona State: 4-13
Neutral: -
Last game: 2024 (BYU lost 28-23 in Tempe)

The Arizona State Sun Devils return to LaVell Edwards Stadium on Halloween, Oct. 31 for the first game in Provo since 2021.

The two teams didn’t play in 2025 but had a wild 2024 game that helped determine the Big 12 title race. Arizona State held off the Cougars with a 28-23 win after leading 21-0 in a hot start.

Arizona State went 8-5 last season and 6-3 in the Big 12. The Sun Devils had several injuries including at the quarterback position and suffered back-to-back defeats to end the year.

Kenny Dillingham is in year four as the head coach at his alma mater, earning a 22-17 in his first three seasons. Dillingham led the Devils to a 11-3 mark in 2024, a Big 12 championship and appearance in the College Football Playoff.  

Games Played: 97
Overall Series: 34-59-4
at BYU: 17-21-1
at Utah: 17-37-3
Neutral: 0-1-0
Last game: 2025 (BYU won 24-21 in Provo)

Rivalry week comes on November 7 in Salt Lake City when BYU heads north to Rice-Eccles Stadium.

BYU won its third game in a row against the Utes in 2025, its longest streak since winning four in a row from 1989-1992 with a 24-21 victory in Provo. LJ Martin ran for 122 yards and Bear Bachmeier threw for 166 and ran for 64, including the deciding score in the fourth quarter after a Tanner Wall interception.

Utah finished the year 11-2, winning the Las Vegas Bowl and finished ranked No. 14 nationally. The Utes were 7-2 in the Big 12, finishing behind the Cougars and Texas Tech.

For the first time in two decades, someone other than BYU alum Kyle Whittingham will man the sidelines for Utah with Whittingham off to Michigan. Morgan Scalley, the long-time defensive coordinator for Utah takes over in 2026 as a first-time head coach. Scalley has been with the Utah program his entire coaching career since 2007.

Games Played: 5
Overall Series: 3-2
at BYU: 2-0
at Baylor: 1-2
Neutral: -
Last game: 2024 (BYU won 34-28 in Waco)

The Baylor Bears arrive in Provo on November 14, their first game in Provo since 2022.

The two schools played at McClane Stadium in Waco, Texas in 2024. BYU started hot with a 21-0 lead in the first quarter before the Bears mounted a comeback down the stretch. A late interception put the game away for the Cougars with a 34-28 win.

Baylor finished the 2025 season at 5-7 and 3-6 in the Big 12.

Dave Aranda has been coaching Baylor since 2020, earning a 36-37 record as a head coach. Aranda led the Bears to a Big 12 championship and Sugar Bowl victory in 2021.

Games Played: 3
Overall Series: 0-3
at BYU: 0-1
at Kansas: 0-1
Neutral: 0-1
Last game: 2024 (BYU lost 17-13 in Provo)

The Cougars are back on the road for the last time in the regular season against Kansas on Nov. 21.

The last time BYU went to Lawrence was in its Big 12 opener as a new member of the league in 2023, falling to the Jayhawks 38-27. The two schools met in 2024 in Provo where Kansas spoiled BYU’s perfect season, handing the Cougars a 17-13 loss.

The Jayhawks sat at 5-4 before losing their last three games in 2025 to miss out on a bowl game for the second consecutive season.

Lance Leipold is heading into year six leading Kansas. Leipold has a 27-35 overall record at Kansas since 2021. Leipold coached six seasons at Buffalo and eight years at Division III Wisconsin-Whitewater where he won six national championships.

Games Played:4
Overall Series: 4-0
at BYU: 2-0
at Cincinnati: 2-0
Neutral: -
Last game: 2025 (BYU won 26-14 in Cincinnati)

The Bearcats of Cincinnati head to Provo to close out the regular season on Nov. 28.

Cincinnati was determined to stay alive in the Big 12 title race last season but needed a win against the Cougars to stay in the hunt. Running back LJ Martin had other ideas however, running for 222 yards and two touchdowns to salt away a defensive battle at Nippert Stadium.

The Bearcats were 7-1 and ranked No. 17 before they went on to lose five games in a row to end the 2025 season at 7-6.

Scott Satterfield has led the Bearcats since 2023, with a 15-22 record at the helm. Satterfield previously served as head coach at Louisville and Appalachian State where he won three Sun Belt championships.