BYU Football Will Open 2024 Season With Night Time Kickoff
May 30, 2024, 12:35 PM
BYU football will face the Southern Illinois Salukis in week one with the kickoff and TV info revealed. (Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
(Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
PROVO, Utah – BYU football will kick off the 2024 season in primetime.
The Cougars will play the Southern Illinois Salukis on Saturday, August 31, at 6 p.m. (MT) on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. This will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
Kickoff time and TV info have been announced for #BYU's season opener.
BYU vs. Southern Illinois
📅: August 31, 2024
⏰: 6 p.m. (MT)
📺: Big 12 Now on ESPN+
📻: @kslnewsradio pic.twitter.com/QIX2UeqNvs— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) May 30, 2024
Southern Illinois is a team from the FCS (Football Championship Subdivision). The Salukis finished with an 8-5 record last year and were 7th place in the toughest conference in the FCS, the Missouri Valley.
Big 12 Now is part of ESPN+, a straight-to-consumer service that fans have to pay to watch.
When Big 12 home games air on ESPN+, the Big 12 Conference allows member institutions to recommend a kickoff time. BYU is choosing a nighttime kickoff.
Every Big 12 team will have at least one home game aired on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
The week one home game marks only the fourth time in the Kalani Sitake era that BYU has opened a season in Provo. It’s the earliest home opener kick time since 2017.
All of the other home openers in the Kalani Sitake era have been 8:15 p.m. (MT) kickoffs.
BYU football enters the 2024 season looking to bounce back from an underwhelming 5-7 record that concluded with a five-game losing streak last year.
The Cougars are looking to find answers at the quarterback position. Jake Retzlaff and Baylor/USF transfer Gerry Bohanon enter fall camp as the top two options, followed by Western Michigan transfer Treyson Bourguet and Utah State transfer McCae Hillstead.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
