BYU announces 2021 football schedule

PROVO, Utah — BYU today released its 2021 football schedule featuring seven matchups against Power 5 conference opponents and teams from nine different states.

The Cougars will face five teams from the Pac-12 Conference and one each from the Atlantic Coast Conference and Big 12 Conference. In all, the 12-game schedule includes teams from seven conferences—ACC, Big 12, Pac-12, American, Mountain West, Sun Belt and Big Sky—representing the states of Arizona, California, Idaho, Florida, Georgia, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington.

Another coast-to-coast national schedule, the 2021 slate includes six home games, five road contests and one neutral-site matchup.

BYU opens the season in the new home of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders, taking on Arizona at Allegiant Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 4. The Cougars last faced the Wildcats in a neutral-site NFL stadium in 2016 in Kalani Sitake’s first game at the helm of the Cougar program. BYU triumphed 18-16 in a closely contested matchup at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona in front of a 30,000-strong contingent of Cougar Nation. BYU earned a 28-23 road victory in Tucson in the last meeting in the 2018 season opener to make its record 11-12-1 in the series dating back to 1936.

The Cougars will face five of the six teams in the Pac-12 South in 2021. After Arizona, BYU hosts in-state rival Utah on Saturday, Sept. 11 in the first of three-straight games in LaVell Edwards Stadium. The Cougars and Utes will meet for the 95th time when they renew their rivalry after not playing in 2020 due to the Pac-12’s cancelation of nonconference games. In a series that dates back to 1922, Utah owns a 59-31-4 record after its 30-12 win in the 2019 season opener in Provo.

BYU welcomes Arizona State to Provo on Saturday, Sept. 18 in its third-consecutive matchup against the Pac-12. The former WAC conference foes renew a series that began in 1935 and was last played in 1998 when the Cougars defeated the Sun Devils, 26-6, in Provo. Before the 2020 game cancellations, the two teams were scheduled to play in Tempe, Arizona, last year. ASU holds a 20-7 advantage in the all-time series.

The third home game in September will see the South Florida Bulls of the AAC making its first appearance in LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 25.  The first meeting between the two teams was a 27-23 Bulls victory at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa in 2019.

The Cougars face back-to-back Mountain West opponents to open the month of October, playing in-state rival Utah State in Maverik Stadium on Friday, Oct. 1 before returning to Provo to host perennial MW power and regional-rival Boise State on Saturday, Oct. 9. BYU maintains a 49-37-3 record against Utah State after defeating the Aggies, 42-14, in the last outing in Logan in 2019. The Cougars, who trail BSU 7-4 in the overall series, are coming off a dominating 51-17 triumph last year to earn their first victory on the Boise’s blue turf against the Broncos.

Returning to the road for back-to-back Power 5 matchups, BYU travels to Big 12 territory to face the Baylor Bears on Saturday, Oct. 16 in the first contest between the two schools since BYU’s 1984 national championship season. An even series at one win apiece, the Cougars defeated the Bears 47-13 in their home opener in 1984 after suffering the lone blemish of BYU’s 12-1, No. 7-ranked 1983 campaign by a 40-36 tally in Waco. The 2021 contest adds the intrigue of the Cougars facing former offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes and offensive line coach Eric Mateos, who left BYU in January to take the same positions with the Bears.  

From Waco to Washington, BYU next challenges Washington State in Pullman on Saturday, Oct. 23 to renew a series against the Pac-12 Cougars that was last played in 2012. BYU defeated its mascot namesakes 30-6 in the 2012 season opener to claim a 3-1 record in the series that dates back to the 1981 Holiday Bowl. This year’s matchup will be the first game in the series played in Pullman.

The Cougars finish October back in Provo against Virginia coached by former BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall and his staff that includes many former Cougar coaches and players. The contest against the Cavaliers of the ACC takes place on Saturday, Oct. 30. The two programs last met in a two-game series in 2013 and 2014 when Mendenhall was coaching from the BYU sideline. The Cougars won the last meeting, 41-33, in Provo after the Cavaliers earned a rain-soaked 19-16 comeback victory in Charlottesville in 2013. Virginia holds a 3-2 edge in the overall series dating back to 1987.

Senior day in LaVell Edwards Stadium takes place on Saturday, Nov. 6 when Idaho State of the Big Sky comes to town. BYU leads the all-time series with the Bengals, 6-0.  The Cougars finish the regular season on the road against two teams coming off strong seasons in 2020. BYU goes to Georgia Southern to face a challenging offensive attack that produced an 8-5 record in a strong Sun Belt last season. The first meeting between the two teams takes place on Saturday, Nov. 20 at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia.

BYU crosses the country to finish the season in Los Angeles against the USC Trojans on Saturday, Nov. 27. The 2020 Pac-12 South champions finished No. 21 in both final polls last season with a 5-1 record. The 2021 matchup with USC is the fourth in the series that started in 2003. BYU is coming off a 30-27 overtime victory in the last meeting when the Cougars downed the No. 24 Trojans on Sept. 14. 2019, in LaVell Edwards Stadium.

Television plans and kick times are yet to be determined. Dates are subject to change to accommodate television plans.

2021 BYU Football Schedule

UPDATE: Ticket Information
The release of the 2021 football schedule has generated a lot of excitement regarding the opportunity to purchase season tickets. BYU anticipates welcoming fans back to LaVell Edwards Stadium this fall, and plans to begin ticket sales in May. We look forward to an exciting season!