The 14th-ranked BYU football team opens the 2026 season against in-state foe Utah Tech on Saturday night at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Needless to say, the Trailblazers are entering a David vs. Goliath battle with the Cougars. But even as the underdog, Utah Tech will still come out ahead when they leave Provo for St. George.
This contest of unmatched talent will add $450,000 to Utah Tech's bottom line, according to Deseret News' Jay Drew .
The amended contract dating back to August 2022 between then-BYU AD Tom Holmoe and Utah Tech AD Ken Beazer shows the Cougars shelling out the six-figure sum. What's interesting about this agreement is it was originally for $400,000. However, BYU is paying a bit more after the game was moved back two years from 2024 to now.
Believe it or not, this is seven times less than what Oregon State will get paid to play BYU in the 2028 Vegas kickoff Classic. According to FBSSchedules.com , the Beavers will take home a $3.2 million payout to play the Cougars two years from now. However, BYU isn't the one paying OSU. ESPN productions is funding to move the game away from Corvallis.
BYU and Oregon State will meet at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, during Labor Day Weekend to open the 2028 season. The two teams will meet in Provo next year as the first part of their agreement.
As for this weekend's contest, BYU comes into the game hyped up as a favorite to make their first-ever College Football Playoff . There's a lot of football left to play before Kalani Sitake's squad gets to that point. But the Cougars do enter the season as one of the front-runners in the Big 12 Conference, along with Texas Tech, who claimed last year's title.
BYU will have to get over the hump while facing a mid-season matchup against Notre Dame on Oct. 17. The contest has no bearing on the Big 12 race, but still carries Playoff implications for both teams. More so for Notre Dame, who can't afford a loss due to being an independent. Still, BYU can create a little leverage and move up in the polls if they beat the Irish.
Both teams were left out of last year's College Football Playoff after each suffered a two-loss season. The agreement to add BYU this year came after USC dropped Notre Dame off the 2026 schedule. The Cougars will travel to South Bend next year to complete the home-and-home agreement.
BYU welcomes Utah Tech into Provo on Saturday night (8 p.m. ET, ESPN+).
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