The stage is set for BYU’s fourth year in the Big 12.
The conference just released its 2026 football schedule, letting the Cougars know who is standing between them and another trip to the Big 12 championship game.
Kickoff times for each game will be announced later.
BYU’s 2026 football schedule
- Sept. 5 — vs. Utah Tech
- Sept. 12 — vs. Arizona
- Sept. 19 — at Colorado State
- Sept. 26 — Bye
- Oct. 3 — at TCU
- Oct. 10 — vs. Iowa State
- Oct. 17 — vs. Notre Dame
- Oct. 24 — at UCF
- Oct. 31 — vs. Arizona State
- Nov. 7 — at Utah
- Nov. 14 — vs. Baylor
- Nov. 21 — at Kansas
- Nov. 28 — vs. Cincinnati
- Dec. 4 — Big 12 championship game (Arlington, Texas)
Highlights from BYU’s 2026 football schedule
- For the third straight year, BYU’s rivalry matchup with Utah (Nov. 7) will not be played as the regular-season finale but rather in the middle of the regular season.
- After facing Big 12 champion Texas Tech twice in 2025, the Cougars will not play the Red Raiders in the regular season this year.
- BYU will open Big 12 play earlier than it ever has before in hosting Arizona on Sept. 12.
- BYU’s visit to TCU (Oct. 3) will be the same day as the Saturday sessions of October’s General Conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
- Notre Dame (Oct. 17) will make its first visit to LaVell Edwards Stadium since 2004 in BYU’s highest-profile matchup of the season.
- When the Cougars face Colorado State on Sept. 19, it will be their first visit to Fort Collins since 2010.
- Baylor will visit Provo (Nov. 14) for the first time since 2022’s double-overtime BYU victory.
- BYU’s bye will be three games in, meaning the Cougars will play nine consecutive games to end the season. Because the regular season begins in September and not August, there is only one bye week built into the calendar.
- Though the Cougars won’t play Texas Tech, they’ll have their first meetings with Kansas (Nov. 21) and Arizona State (Oct. 31) since losing to each of them in 2024.
- The combined 2025 records of BYU’s upcoming Big 12 opponents is 42-39.
BYU Cougars head coach Kalani Sitake, and his players celebrate after the Cougars defeated the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando on Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
