BYU 2024 Football Schedule Superlatives

BYU football enters their second year in the Big 12 Conference. The conference itself underwent yet another change, welcoming Utah, Arizona, Arizona State, and Colorado to the fold. The conference is now at 16 teams, including a few new programs very familiar with BYU.

With the 2024 schedule set, which matchups stand out for BYU? Let’s dive into some superlatives to highlight the biggest parts of BYU’s upcoming football schedule.

Best non-conference game: at SMU Mustangs (Sep. 6)

The Mustangs put together a solid season in 2023, finishing 11-3. They won the American Athletic Conference in their final year of membership, with an undefeated 8-0 record. Now, this is considered a “Power 4” matchup with SMU entering the ACC.

Certainly, there is history here as well. SMU and BYU played in one of the most epic bowl games in college football history in the 1980 Holiday Bowl, what is now dubbed as “The Miracle Bowl.” Famously, BYU QB Jim McMahon led a furious comeback victory after BYU trailed SMU 45-25 with just four minutes left in the game.

The other bowl game these two programs played in, the 2022 New Mexico Bowl, also was something of a thriller. BYU won 24-23 after stopping SMU’s attempt for a game-winning two point conversion.

Given the history of the two programs, with SMU’s rise to being worthy of an ACC invite, this will be an intriguing game in Dallas.

Most favorable FBS matchup: at Wyoming Cowboys (Sep. 14)

Obviously, the most favorable matchup on the schedule for BYU is FCS foe Southern Illinois. However, BYU plays another winnable game against Wyoming. The Cowboys finished last year 9-4 and this game is in Laramie, so it is nothing automatic for the Cougars. They beat Texas Tech last year.

This just displays how difficult BYU’s schedule truly is. Their easiest FBS game might be a road game against a former Mountain West Conference rival, where weird things can happen.

One variable is that Wyoming is introducing a new head coach in Jay Sawvel after 10-year coach Craig Bohl stepped down.

Biggest home game: Kansas State Wildcats (Sep. 21)

Kansas State and BYU square off for the first time since they played in the Cotton Bowl following the 1996 season. The Wildcats have not visited Provo since 1977.

This year, they do so on the heels of a fantastic 2023 campaign. They got all the way up to No. 15 in the polls and finished 9-4 and 18th in the final AP poll.

Quarterback Avery Johnson will likely lead the explosive Kansas State attack that ranked 23rd in the FBS in yards per game last year. BYU’s defense will be tested.

Given the early schedule of Kansas State and their position in the preseason poll, the Wildcats will likely travel to Provo ranked inside the Top 25.

Biggest Revenge Game: Oklahoma State (Oct. 18)

Unfortunately, there are several teams BYU can put on their list for revenge from the 2023 season. The most bitterly disappointing game was the final one in Stillwater, when BYU was just a few yards away from sealing the win and bowl eligibility. Instead, they fell short in double-overtime after leading the game 24-6 at halftime.

That was about as frustrating a way to end a BYU football season as we can remember. They were so close to earning a bowl bid in Year One of the Big 12, only to falter at the last second.

Mike Gundy navigated an up-and-down season for the Pokes which finished strong, landing them 16th in the final AP poll at 10-4. They even made it to the Big 12 Championship Game before falling to Texas.

Payback will be on the minds of the Cougars when the Cowboys come to Provo. Oklahoma State has never played in Provo. But revenge won’t be given easily, as Oklahoma State once again looks to have a solid team.

Biggest road game (besides Utah): at UCF Knights (Oct. 26)

Aside from the obviously daunting trip up the road to play the Utah Utes, they also hop across the country and head to Orlando. That in of itself is a tough ask. Plus, UCF is coming off of a better inaugural Big 12 season than BYU. They went 6-6 before losing to Georgia Tech in the Gasparilla Bowl.

Their quarterback should look familiar to BYU as the Knights scored transfer KJ Jefferson from Arkansas. He is very talented with an NFL-sized body and already has played BYU twice.

BYU will have played Arizona and Oklahoma State in back-to-back weeks before making that long trip to Florida. UCF might get a BYU team a bit worn out. The Cougars will be tested mentally in this game, with a bye week leading into the matchup with Utah looming right after.

UCF is not a team BYU can afford to take lightly.

Toughest matchup: at Utah Utes (Nov. 9)

Let’s cut to the chase. BYU and Utah are on a collision course for a contentious renewal of The Holy War with both programs residing in the same conference again. Not only do these two teams have one of the most historic rivalries in the sport, but the Utes are also set to be really good in 2024.

Quarterback Cam Rising returns to Utah in hopes of winning the Big 12 and earning a bid in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff. They finished last year 8-5 after suffering numerous injuries, especially at quarterback. They are not too far removed from back-to-back PAC-12 titles.

If the degree of difficulty was not high enough for a BYU team eager to improve off of their disappointing 5-7 season, this game is at Rice-Eccles Stadium. That has been a house of horrors for BYU, who has not won in Salt Lake since 2006, when John Beck found Jonny Harline in the endzone as time expired.

Finally, this game will count in the conference standings once again.