Since BYU is now a conference game next year, Utah now only has 11-scheduled games next season. Baylor is being kept as a non-conference game because they’re not one of Utah’s scheduled Big 12 opponents in season 1. They need to fill an additional non-conference game. Who the crap are they going to schedule on such short notice? Who is even available at this point?
I would imagine any of the other PAC teams not joining the Big 12 would have openings.
Wazzu and the Beavers for sure.
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Well, Utah’s only opening right now is September 7th, which is when the BYU game was scheduled. It’s not going to be any of the PAC-12 teams who are joining the Big 12 with Utah (Colorado, ASU, Arizona). It’s not going to be either of Wazzu or Oregon State because they are both already scheduled to play that day (Wazzu @ SDSU; Oregon State @ Boise State). Cal plays @ Auburn that day. Stanford plays Cal Poly. UCLA already has 3 non-conference games scheduled next year. So does USC, so they’re not available. Neither is Oregon. Washington only has two non-cons scheduled, but they’re scheduled to play Eastern Michigan on September 7th. So, what exactly are they going to do?
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They don’t. At least not on September 7th. Both of them are already scheduled to play games that day.
I think Utah is going to have to either try to schedule a game on their scheduled bye week or try to schedule one on Week Zero. Nobody is available
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We’ll just have to beat those pudknockers twice at our place next season.
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I think this is probably where it will land for one year unless they just keep the protected rivalry game on this date just this year because of short scheduling. That’d suck to have week 2 be a bye, but if we have a week 0, it’d be like USC’s schedule this year (although their 2nd bye is last week of the season, weird).
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Are we sure Utah snd BYU wont play on Sep 7th?
Since we already play ten P5/P4 games in 2024 I dont see the need to play another. If there’s a G5 team out there we could get at home I’d be good with that.
That would make 7 home and 5 away games
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Given what I am seeing in the schedule, maybe an upper tier G5 with an open date, or the Beavs or the Cougs.
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Someone somewhere else did the research, but here are the teams available Sep 7: BC, Indiana, Kenn St, L’ville, Rice. I think Rice is the most obvious choice and we could get them at home. Maybe return trip down the road (ok to do a 1-1 since it would put us in Texas). We already have 10 P5 (9 conference + Baylor out of conference game) + SUU, but Indiana sucks. L’ville is as risk not needed.
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I would be ok with BC, Indiana, Lewisville, or Rice. As long as it’s a home game.
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Why on earth would WSU or OSU want to do Utah a favor??
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Not saying they would. Just saying they will have openings on their schedules.
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Not on Sep 7. They actually have their 1st several weeks lined up. It’s the ‘conference’ weeks that they will have to fill in. I think they are working on a partnership with MWC ala ND w/ ACC at least short term.
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That’s weird they took Utah off the list since they themselves only list 11 games. Maybe they thought that BYU was also a non-conference game (they added SMU, so they are full with S. Ill, @ Wyo, @ SMU), so when Baylor was deemed a non-conference game, they thought we were good to go.
Interesting to see that Indiana (now w/ FIU, Charlotte) and L’ville (now with Austin Paey, ND, UK) are available because IU is cancelling the game. Doubt either would want to add us. BC has @ Mizzou, Mich St., and WKU, so doubt they want to add a P5. And Kenn St. would be a FBS game since they are moving up from FCS in 2024. Rice has 2 non-conference games to schedule and are at home vs Sam Houston and @ Houston (no travel) so could afford to come to SLC.
Or, some others could shuffle things around. Army has to drop a few games since they are joining AAC AND they will play AFA and Navy is being kept a non-conference game (week after AAC championship in normal week), so maybe that creates a couple more degrees of freedom to snag a game somewhere else and play a conference game on Sep 7? (although opponents probably have games scheduled already for then). AFA is @ Baylor on Sep 7, so they could shuffle to Army on that date, we move Baylor (they had 8 home games this year, so suck it up) to the date, … I kind of find it would be fun to be a scheduler, but more like the NFL or NBA since the league has control over all the teams inputs/constraints.
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Maybe we should keep the early byu game as a non conference game and play them twice, both at home.
(ducks)
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Well you know the Cougars would never go for that.
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I wonder if the Big-12 will schedule one of Utah’s conference games for September 7 to provide greater schedule flexibility, later in the season. As far as I know the Big-12 doesn’t require all OOC games to be played in September. That seems reasonable, since other schools besides just Utah and BYU are scrambling to fill games on short notice.
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