BYU Football: Three Key Takeaways from the 2025 Schedule<\/p>\n
PROVO, Utah \u2013 After reviewing BYU’s 2025 football schedule, several key points stand out.<\/p>\n
Here are three major takeaways from the 12-game lineup, starting with the placement of the rivalry game against Utah.<\/p>\n
Big 12 Should Establish Consistency for the BYU-Utah Rivalry<\/p>\n
The October 18 matchup between BYU and Utah feels unusual, but odd scheduling has been a trend in this series for the past 15 years.<\/p>\n
Complaining about the rivalry game\u2019s timing has become as routine as wishing for it to return to the final week of the season.<\/p>\n
Since BYU and Utah left the Mountain West in 2010, only once has their game been scheduled for the season\u2019s final weekend (2018). That was 15 years ago.<\/p>\n
With conferences focused on securing multiple spots in the 12-team College Football Playoff, a non-traditional date for the rivalry makes sense. The ACC is even considering a title game without its top team. Leagues are exploring creative ways to maximize playoff opportunities.<\/p>\n
The issue with BYU-Utah is that the Big 12 has scheduled it without consistency.<\/p>\n
If the conference wants this rivalry to become its version of Texas-Oklahoma, it should pick a fixed date\u2014whether mid-October, early November, or a Thanksgiving weekend showdown\u2014and stick to it every year.<\/p>\n
Establishing a permanent slot would help build the game\u2019s national brand and attract viewers beyond the Big 12\u2019s core fan base.<\/p>\n
Last year\u2019s November 9 meeting raised the stakes.<\/p>\n
BYU was undefeated and ranked No. 9 in the CFP rankings, while Utah was fighting for bowl eligibility. A strong late-night TV audience tuned in.<\/p>\n
Everyone familiar with this rivalry knows the game delivers no matter when it\u2019s played. But the Big 12 shouldn\u2019t take that for granted.<\/p>\n
The conference needs to give the series an annual identity, something it has lacked since 2010.<\/p>\n
BYU\u2019s Early Bye Week<\/p>\n
BYU\u2019s first bye comes in Week 3 of the 2025 season, the earliest since 2013 when BYU was an FBS Independent.<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t an ideal placement, as teams generally prefer to establish momentum before getting a break.<\/p>\n
The second bye arrives on October 25, following a road game at Iowa State.<\/p>\n
Between these two bye weeks, BYU will play six straight games, four of them away from Provo.<\/p>\n
Typically, the Big 12 grants teams a bye after traveling two time zones for a road game. However, BYU\u2019s East Coast trip to Cincinnati is set for November 22, the second-to-last week of the season, leaving no opportunity for a bye after that game.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Half of BYU\u2019s 2025 Opponents Reached Bowl Games<\/p>\n
Six teams on BYU\u2019s 2025 schedule played in bowl games last season: East Carolina, Colorado, West Virginia, Iowa State, Texas Tech, and TCU.<\/p>\n
Four of those matchups will be road games for BYU.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, six opponents missed the postseason: Portland State (FCS), Stanford, Arizona, Utah, Cincinnati, and UCF. However, don\u2019t be surprised if one or two of those teams become tougher challenges than expected.<\/p>\n
A year ago, few would have predicted that Arizona State\u2019s game in Tempe would function as a play-in for the Big 12 Championship.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Big 12 is a conference where teams can turn things around quickly.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
2025 BYU Football Schedule<\/p>\n
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(* = Big 12 Conference game)<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
August 30 \u2013 Portland State Vikings<\/p>\n
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September 6 \u2013 Stanford Cardinal<\/p>\n
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September 13 \u2013 BYE<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
September 20 \u2013 at East Carolina Pirates<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
September 27 \u2013 at Colorado Buffaloes*<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
October 3 (Friday) \u2013 West Virginia Mountaineers*<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
October 11 \u2013 at Arizona Wildcats*<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
October 18 \u2013 Utah Utes (Homecoming)*<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
October 25 \u2013 at Iowa State Cyclones*<\/p>\n
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November 1 \u2013 BYE<\/p>\n
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November 8 \u2013 at Texas Tech Red Raiders*<\/p>\n
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November 15 \u2013 TCU Horned Frogs*<\/p>\n
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November 22 \u2013 at Cincinnati Bearcats*<\/p>\n
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November 29 \u2013 UCF Knights*<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
December 6 \u2013 2025 Big 12 Football Championship (Arlington, Texas)<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BYU Football: Three Key Takeaways from the 2025 Schedule PROVO, Utah \u2013 After reviewing BYU’s 2025 football schedule, several key points stand out. Here are three major takeaways from the 12-game lineup, starting with the placement of the rivalry game against Utah. Big 12 Should Establish Consistency for the BYU-Utah Rivalry The October 18 matchup […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23935,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1869],"tags":[2134],"class_list":["post-23928","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-byu","tag-byu-cougars"],"yoast_head":"\n