BYU releases 2022 football schedule

PROVO, Utah — BYU today released its 2022 football schedule for the program’s final season as an independent before joining the Big 12 Conference.

The 12-game schedule features a lineup that includes nine teams that qualified for a bowl game last season, including two that appeared in New Year’s Six games, and five programs that finished the year in the final top-25 rankings.

Five Power 5 opponents will play the Cougars in 2022, with BYU facing Big 12 Champion Baylor, top-10 Notre Dame, nationally ranked Arkansas from the SEC, and Pac-12 teams Stanford and Oregon, the Pac-12 North Champion.  The Bears finished 2021 ranked No. 5, while the Irish were No. 8 and the Razorbacks and the Ducks achieved final AP rankings of No. 21 and No. 22, respectively.

Utah State of the Mountain West also finished last season in the top 25, earning a No. 24 ranking as the MW Champions. The Cougars will also face Boise State and Wyoming of the Mountain West, who both earned bowl invitations.  Independent Liberty and East Carolina of the American Athletic Conference also qualified for bowls last season. Overall, BYU’s 11 FBS opponents achieved an 87-55 record last year with the nine bowl-qualifying teams earning at .695 winning percentage.

National Slate

BYU’s final schedule as an independent appropriately boasts a truly national balance of teams from 11 different states and six different conferences as well as fellow independents Notre Dame and Liberty.

The Cougars will visit both coasts on multiple trips during the season with games in Florida, Virginia, Oregon and California and also travel to neighboring states Idaho and Nevada. BYU will host teams from Texas, Arkansas, North Carolina and Wyoming as well as two in-state teams from Utah.

No Place Like Home

The home schedule brings future Big 12 mate and reigning league champion Baylor to LaVell Edwards Stadium as well as nationally ranked Arkansas of the SEC and MW Champion and in-state rival Utah State. Longtime former conference foe Wyoming of the MW comes to Provo for the first time since 2010, while East Carolina of the AAC makes its second-ever trip to BYU. In-state Utah Tech (Dixie State until July) from St. George will face the Cougars for the first time.

Four of BYU’s home games will take place on Saturdays and two contests will be weeknight matchups. BYU and Utah State will be featured on a Thursday night (Sept. 29), while the Cougars will face East Carolina on a Friday night (Oct. 28). 

Strong and Balanced Throughout

BYU opens the season in Tampa, Florida, when it takes on South Florida on Saturday, Sept. 3 in Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Last year the Cougars defeated the Bulls in Provo by a 35-27 tally. BYU starts its home schedule the next week hosting Baylor on Saturday, Sept. 10. The Bears are coming off a No. 5 ranking and Sugar Bowl victory after winning the 2021 Big 12 title.

The Cougars make their first trip to Eugene, Oregon, since 1990 to take on the Pac-12 North Champion Ducks on Saturday, Sept. 17. The last time the two programs met was in the 2006 Las Vegas Bowl, which saw the Cougars earn a 38-8 victory over nationally ranked Oregon.  BYU then welcomes Wyoming back to LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 24 for the first regular-season matchup between the two former conference foes since BYU’s 25-20 victory in Provo in 2010. The last meeting between the Cougars and Cowboys was the 2016 Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego, where BYU came out on top over Wyoming’s Josh Allen-led team, 24-21, before going onto a Pro Bowl career in the NFL.

The season’s middle set of games starts in Provo the next week when BYU and longtime rival Utah State will be featured in a Thursday-night matchup on Sept. 29. The Cougars, who achieved a 34-20 victory in Logan to give the Aggies one of only three losses last year, will meet USU in Provo for the first time since 2018.

BYU will then have a few extra days to prepare to face fellow independent Notre Dame in the Irish’s Shamrock Series contest with the Cougars on Saturday, Oct. 8 at Allegiant Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders. BYU will be playing its second game in the recently minted stadium after opening the 2021 season with a win over Arizona in the NFL venue. The Cougars will be playing Notre Dame for the ninth time since the first outing in 1992 and the first at a neutral site. The last outing was a 23-13 Irish win in South Bend in 2013.

The challenge continues the next week when BYU hosts the SEC when Arkansas comes to LaVell Edwards Stadium for the first-ever meeting between the two programs. The Razorbacks, coming off a 24-10 victory over Penn State in the Outback Bowl on New Years’ Day, were one of five nationally ranked SEC teams in 2021 with a 9-4 record. The Cougars finish its second set of four games with its second trip to the East Coast, making its first visit to Lynchburg, Virginia, to take on fellow independent Liberty on Saturday, Oct. 22.

The final third of the regular season features a Friday-night matchup with East Carolina in Provo on Oct. 28 before the Cougars travel north to face Boise State on Saturday, Nov. 5. The Cougars previously split games with ECU with a home win in 2015 and a road loss in 2017, while BYU suffered one of its three losses last year to regional-rival Boise State last year in Provo. The Cougars have won two of the last three games in the series, including a 51-17 win in 2020 in the last outing in Boise. 

After a bye, BYU hosts Utah Tech on Saturday, Nov. 19 for senior day before concluding the regular season at Stanford on Saturday, Nov. 26. BYU will play the Trailblazers for the first time, while facing the Cardinal again for the first game since the first two contests in the series back in 2003 and 2004. Stanford won both previous matchups, including the last outing in the Bay Area in 2004.  

Season Tickets & TV

BYU football season ticket renewals for home games at LaVell Edwards Stadium are currently underway for existing ticket holders. New season ticket sales will be announced in April prior to going on sale at the beginning of May.

Television plans and kick times are yet to be determined. Dates are subject to change to accommodate television plans.

2022 BYU Football Schedule