Projecting BYU football’s early-season TV schedule in 2026
May 19, 2026, 5:03 PM | Updated: 5:06 pm
PROVO – We’re getting closer to learning kickoff times and TV info for BYU football games in the 2026 season.
Every year, before the official start of summer, television networks roll out the first three weeks of games they’ve selected, along with kickoff times.
When it happens, it’s another signal that the football season will be here before we know it.
Along with the first three weeks, marquee games and weeknight games usually receive television coverage and kick times.
Predicting TV, kickoff times for BYU football games in 2026
The early-season television schedule provides an opportunity to put on a TV executive cap and project to try to sort out the puzzle of slotting BYU football games into a specific television and kick window.
Remember, the Big 12 has contracts with ESPN and FOX for its games. All BYU football home games and road games in Big 12 play fall under the league’s television media rights.
Here are the projections for the early-season BYU football games in 2026.
BYU vs. Utah Tech
Date: Saturday, September 5, 2026
TV & Kickoff prediction: ESPN+, 6 p.m. (MT)
BYU has experienced a lot of success in the past two years, opening the season against an FCS opponent with a 6 p.m. kickoff on ESPN+. Why not keep it going and highlight the nighttime atmosphere at LaVell Edwards Stadium?
BYU vs. Arizona
Date: Saturday, September 12, 2026
TV & Kickoff prediction: ESPN, 8:15 p.m. (MT)
A big game to kick off the Big 12 league schedule in 2026 between two programs that won a combined 21 games a season ago, and played in a double-overtime thriller the last time they met.
Then you add in the star power at quarterback with First Team All-Big 12 selection Noah Fifita returning for Arizona. The reigning Big 12 Freshman Offensive Player of the Year, Bear Bachmeier, leads the way at quarterback for BYU.
There’s a lot for television executives to like in this matchup.
Still, when you see how stacked the Big 12, Big Ten, and SEC schedules are for week two, it’s hard to see this game getting out of the “after dark” television spot. These are two programs that are very familiar with the late-night television window, and it puts a potential Top 25 matchup in that fourth window.
BYU at Colorado State
Date: Saturday, September 19, 2026
TV & Kickoff prediction: CBS Sports Network, 6 p.m. (MT)
Who would have thought that when these two old WAC and Mountain West rivals last met in 2010, the next meeting would be a game between teams from the Big 12 and Pac-12?
That’s what we have when BYU rolls into the “Choice City” for the first time in 16 years to face Colorado State, which is now part of the Pac-12.
Since it’s a road game, the matchup will fall under the Pac-12’s television contract. Pac-12 games will air on CBS, CW, and USA Sports.
CBS is the “primary long-term media partner” for the Pac-12. So we’ll project that they will have first dibs on games.
A minimum of three regular-season Pac-12 games can air on CBS, with BYU likely to be a preseason top-25 team and the old rivalry element, maybe BYU-CSU is attractive enough to use one of those network television spots.
But we’ll project that CBS will hold on to those designations, with the flex schedule the Pac-12 will incorporate at the end of the regular season, creating potential marquee television events.
That means CBS Sports Network could be a likely landing spot for BYU at CSU.
If the game ends up on CW, which also carries ACC games, it could be streamed on the ESPN app, which would be a positive.
BYU vs. Iowa State
Date: Friday, October 9, 2026
TV & Kickoff prediction: ESPN, 8:30 p.m. (MT)
When FOX didn’t pick up this game for its 2026 Friday night schedule, it set the table for a potential Friday night doubleheader on ESPN involving BYU and Iowa State.
Florida State travels to Louisville in an ACC game on Friday, October 9. The ACC is an exclusive partner of ESPN. So that likely gets the 5 p.m. (MT) kickoff time, with BYU and Iowa State probably getting an 8:30 p.m. spot, unless there’s a television slide, in which case it might be 8:40.
BYU is no stranger to a late-night Friday game on ESPN. Last year, they hosted West Virginia at 8:30 p.m. local time. The year before that was a thriller against Oklahoma State at 8:15 p.m.
Needless to say, we’re preparing for a late weeknight at LES in October.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSL and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.
Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU athletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.
