BYU-Boise State streak set to continue even after Cougars join Big 12

For nearly a decade now, the BYU-Boise State football rivalry has been an annual tradition.

The two schools have met every season since 2012, and that will continue on Saturday when the No.10 Cougars host the Broncos at 1:30 p.m. MDT at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

The two are expected to play each season through 2034, except 2024, on an extended contract, although there are questions as to whether this will continue now that BYU has accepted an invitation to join. the Big 12 Conference from 2023.

It’s possible that the series will disappear when BYU joins the Big 12, or that it may survive in one form or another. What does that mean finding a way to get Boise State on the calendar almost every year – what if the Broncos join the Big 12 as well? (more on that later) – or alternating between rivalry games with Utah, Utah State, and Boise State, BYU has a variety of ways to keep opponents familiar in its non-conference schedule an once it has joined the Big 12 in 2023.

There are several compelling reasons, however, for the BYU-Boise State rivalry to continue.

The attendance figures are strong

Playing against each other has increased attendance at both schools, although attendance has declined slightly in recent meetings from what it was almost ten years ago.

BYU was the opponent of two of the four best crowds of all time in a game at Albertsons Stadium in Boise State – in 2012 (36,864 fans, No. 2 in school history) and in 2014 ( 36 752, n ° 4). In the four BYU-Boise State games played at Boise since 2012 – excluding the 2020 season where attendance was heavily impacted by the pandemic – average attendance was 35,858 at the 36,287-seat stadium.

Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

In a decade where BYU has seen its average home attendance drop a bit – including a low of 52,476 in the 2018 season – the four BYU-Boise State games since 2012 have remained strong, with an average of 61,276 fans at LaVell Edwards stadium with 63,725 seats. The 2015 game between the two schools had 63,470 participants, the highest of the season for BYU that year.

While the BYU-Boise State games did not draw as much of a crowd as when an opponent from Power Five plays at LaVell Edwards Stadium, attendance figures were not far behind those games when the Cougars faced off against a P5 opponent in LaVell Edwards Stadium. same year they hosted the Broncos. For example, the 2013 BYU-Boise State game drew 62,954 fans, behind just two games at Provo that year – 63,197 against Texas and 63,470 against Utah.

It’s a competitive series

If BYU wins on Saturday, the Cougars would tie the series at five wins apiece since the two teams started playing each other in 2012. Overall, the Broncos have a 7-4 advantage in the series, thanks to the victory of the first two games. in the series in 2003 and 2004. Yet it has always been a competitive and healthy series.

There have been compelling wins on both sides – Boise State has scored over 50 points in the series twice (beating BYU 50-12 in 2003 and 55-30 in 2014), while the Cougars won their first game. at Boise last year, beating the Broncos 51-17.

There were also close wins with thrilling finishes – five of the 11 games were decided by a score or less, with Boise State winning four of those games by a single score.

The Broncos have beaten the Cougars by a single point three times at Boise. Boise State has twice beaten a Taysom Hill BYU team by a single point, including in 2012 when Hill, then a freshman, led a late touchdown but was unable to convert a two-point conversion to victory.

Appel Ravell, Deseret News

BYU, however, has had its tight game times. In 2015, the Cougars rallied for a 35-24 win after trailing three before the last minute – they scored on a 35-yard pass to fourth, then again on a six-15-second pick. late for the 11-point victory. . In 2019, a BYU team led by alternate quarterback Baylor Romney won 28-10 in the third quarter over a ranked Boise State team before hanging on for a 28-25 victory.

Both teams are nationally relevant

Despite a 2-3 record this year, Boise State has been in the spotlight of college football regularly for the past 20 years as it has made it into one of the top five-group programs in the country. BYU’s rich history dates back to the days of LaVell Edwards, and while it hasn’t been as relevant over the past decade, the Cougar program is currently on the rise.

Since 2008, the Broncos have been ranked nine times in the last Associated Press poll of the season. Boise State has also played in one of the country’s most prestigious bowls, the Fiesta Bowl, three times since 2006, and won it each time, most recently in 2014.

After a successful run in the 2000s, BYU saw its national profile slide in the 2010s, but this has accelerated in the past two seasons. The Cougars ended the 2020 pandemic-altered 11-1 season and placed No.11 in the latest AP poll. This year, they are 5-0 as the season nears its midpoint and rank No.10 nationally.

It means something on both sides

The 2020 game between BYU and Boise State should serve as an example of how much the two teams value the opportunity to go head-to-head. Last year’s season was heavily impacted by the pandemic, and many FBS conferences were held with a league-only schedule.

Despite that, BYU, Boise State and Mountain West found a way to make the non-conference game happen, and it served as a big game for both schools.

Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

Earlier this week, BYU coach Kalani Sitake praised Boise State for the organization he has put in place.

“I really enjoyed the consistency of playing Boise every year,” Sitake told reporters, “and I appreciate their fan base and their schedule, just the way they do things. I think it is. a top notch organization, from the university to the athletics department to the football team, I respect them a lot and we look forward to this game. “

Boise State freshman coach Andy Avalos highlighted the series’ impact in the region.

“It’s always a hotly contested game, a very physical game,” he said. “I think it’s a game that both fans look forward to every year. It’s an incredible regional rivalry game that hopefully over the years we can continue to seize this opportunity.”

What does the BYU-Boise State contract look like?

There hasn’t been any update on either school’s series since last month’s announcement that BYU would be one of four schools – along with Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF from the American Athletic Conference – joining the Big 12 in the near future.

Here’s what we know about the Cougars’ contractual deal with Boise State:

• In 2019, BYU and Boise State extended their streak to add 10 more games to their previous contract, with 2024 being the only year they wouldn’t play between now and 2034.
• The two schools would alternately host the games starting in 2025, with Boise State in odd years and BYU in even years.
• According to BJ Rains of the Idaho Press, who obtained a copy of this BYU-Boise State agreement, it is written in the contract that if any of the programs joined a new conference, they could cancel the programming agreement without penalty. . .

Could this contract deal continue as BYU, which currently plays as an independent, returns to a conference in 2023? When that happens, the Cougars – starting with athletic director Tom Holmoe – will have to decide which programming deals to keep and which to cancel, with the Cougars only having three to four non-conference games a year.

Perhaps an amended contract between the two schools could work when the number of games is reduced, while still retaining a scheduling agreement. This could help in cases like the 2029 season in which Boise State has already scheduled its four non-conference games – including games in Washington and Cincinnati – while BYU has three games currently scheduled for the same year, including competitions. against the Power Five Stanford and Ole programs. To lack.

Could BYU-Boise State become a conference game?

On the same day the Big 12 announced that BYU and the three AAC schools would be joining the Power Five conference, there was a silver lining for Boise State in its quest to join a P5 league as well.

CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd then indicated that the Big 12 could consider a second round of expansion, with Boise State and Memphis the main contenders. Dodd said any further expansion will likely come after 2024.

A week ago, Boise State and San Diego State reportedly informed Mountain West of their desire to remain in the conference amid reports that several MWC teams could possibly leave for another Group of Five AAC conference. It turns out that no MWC team would be leaving the conference just yet.

Matt Norlander of CBS Sports reported that Boise State is hoping for an invitation from a Power Five conference, most likely the Big 12.

“The next move has to be the big move,” a source told Norlander of Boise State.

The potential addition of Boise State as a member of the Big 12, of course, would completely change that discussion of the BYU-BSU series and keep a regional rivalry intact.