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PROVO — While spending the holiday season in San Diego, BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe mentioned rekindling a series with former Western Athletic Conference and Mountain West foe San Diego State was a priority for the Cougars' independent football schedule.
The priority was realized on Thursday.
BYU added a pair of future games against San Diego State in 2019 and 2020, as well as a first-ever matchup against FCS foe McNeese State, the school announced on Thursday morning.
“We’re pleased to announce a new series with San Diego State as well as a first-time matchup with McNeese State,” Holmoe said in a statement. “We’re excited to renew our strong history with San Diego State in a series that has included many incredible games over the years. We also look forward to hosting McNeese State in Provo.”
The Cougars will play the Aztecs in San Diego on Nov. 30, 2019, with a return trip to Provo contracted for Nov. 14, 2020.
The matchup with McNeese State, which gained national prominence in 2013 with a 53-21 win at South Florida in the largest margin of victory by a FCS team over a FBS foe, will be played either Sept. 22 or Oct. 13, 2018. The Cougars' only other opening in 2018 is Oct. 20.
BYU will host Cal, Utah State, Northern Illinois and Hawaii in 2018, with road tilts at Arizona, Wisconsin, Washington, Boise State, UMass and Utah.
The San Diego State series renews a rivalry that has been played 36 times since 1947, with BYU holding a 28-7-1 advantage. The two teams were charter members of the Mountain West in 1999, but have not faced each other since the 2012 Poinsettia Bowl, when Kyle Van Noy scored a pair of defensive touchdowns to lift the Cougars to a 23-6 win at Qualcomm Stadium.
The Aztecs are currently negotiating with Qualcomm Stadium over use of the facility after the NFL's Chargers announced the team will be moving to Los Angeles.
