BYU-Utah Football Rivalry Game Officially Canceled As Pac-12 Goes Conference-Only

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The BYU-Utah football rivalry game has been canceled for the 2020 season.

The cancelation comes as a byproduct of the Pac-12 Conference announcing that the league is going to a Conference-Only schedule for the 2020 football season.

BREAKING: Pac-12 CEO Group announces decision to schedule conference-only play for the 2020 football season.

Full coverage at https://t.co/r2MtSoyKMk#GoUtes #PAC12 pic.twitter.com/OOfzcoJQ0G

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) July 10, 2020

Both teams were originally scheduled to face off against one another to open the 2020 season at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Thursday, September 3rd. Utah has won the last nine meetings in the series.

The last time that these two rivals missed a season going up against one another was in 2014. Utah scheduled a home-and-home series with the University of Michigan leaving former Athletic Director Dr. Chris Hill to take a break from the state’s oldest rivalry.

Prior to 2014, the only other interruption to the series that dates back to 1922 was due to World War II from 1943-1945. Another pause in the rivalry is taking place in 2022 and 2023 when Utah plays Florida in a home-and-home agreement. But then the rivalry will resume beginning in 2024.

Pac-12 makes it official. Conference-only football for the Pac-12 Conference this fall. #BYU now down to seven regular season games this season.#BYUFootball @kslsports

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) July 10, 2020

Utah Athletic Director Mark Harlan has expressed support for the BYU-Utah rivalry to be played on an annual basis said on Friday, “While we support the Pac-12 Conference’s decision today to only play conference games this fall in football, volleyball and soccer, we are disappointed for our student-athletes, coaches and fans. We know it is particularly difficult to miss the rivalry matchups with BYU in these sports, and we look forward to continuing those as soon as we are able.”

The Pac-12 Conference did not announce a new Conference-Only schedule in their decision on Friday but it will be released at a later date. For BYU, the Cougars are now down to seven regular-season games for the 2020 college football season.

Utah owns the all-time series lead in the football series against BYU at 59-31-4.

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12-3 pm) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.