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PROVO — BYU's first season in the Big 12 ended with a five-game losing skid for a 5-7 overall record, including 2-7 in league play.
Can the Cougars improve in season No. 2, when Texas and Oklahoma depart for the SEC and Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah replace them in the soon-to-be 14-team conference?
We're about to find out.
BYU announced its full scheduled Tuesday as part of the Big 12 scheduling reveal, including five conference home games, four road trips in league play, and a pair of road games at Wyoming and SMU — a last-minute replacement that will be played Friday, Sept. 6 at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas to replace the Cougars' previously scheduled nonconference tilt against the Utes.
Last season, BYU finished with the 11th most-difficult schedule in the country, per Sagarin's ratings. This year's schedule features five teams that finished the 2023 season ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 — No. 11 Arizona, No. 16 Oklahoma State, No. 18 Kansas State, No. 22 SMU and No. 23 Kansas — along with two bye weeks.
The Cougars will have an off-week in Week 6 before hosting Arizona and another in Week 10 before the rivalry game in Salt Lake City.
We've said it before. We'll say it again.
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) January 30, 2024
We've always been greater than 12. pic.twitter.com/eQpzIV9ntR
The season opens Saturday, Aug. 31 against FCS Southern Illinois, with the Salukis making their first trip to LaVell Edwards Stadium. After back-to-back road games at SMU and Wyoming (Sept. 14), league play begins Sept. 21 in Provo in the first-ever conference meeting with former 1996 Cotton Bowl opponent Kansas State.
That comes a week before a renewed rivalry game Nov. 9 in Salt Lake City as the Cougars welcome the Utes back to the same conference for the first time since both teams were in the Mountain West in 2011.
Both teams will meet after a regular-season bye for the first time since 1953 in the earliest conference matchup since 1977, when the duo met Nov. 5 in WAC play.
Other highlights of Big 12 play include the return of former offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes to Provo, where he was involved in the offense on two separate occasions at BYU. The now-Kansas offensive coordinator and returning stars Jalon Daniels and Devin Neal will come to LaVell Edwards Stadium on Nov. 16
Arizona and Arizona State are back on the schedule together for the first time since the Territorial Cup rivals were in the Western Athletic Conference in 1978. The Cougars will host the Wildcats on Oct. 12 before traveling to Tempe to face the Sun Devils on Nov. 23.
