Independence Bowl Is Reportedly Following BYU To Big 12 Conference
May 15, 2023, 2:04 PM | Updated: 2:12 pm
Could BYU end up in the Independence Bowl again as a Big 12 member? It's possible. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
(Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
PROVO, Utah – How does Big 12-bound BYU playing in the Independence Bowl again sound?
It could happen.
The Action Network’s Brett McMurphy reported that the Independence Bowl will join the Big 12 Conference’s profile of bowl games for the 2023 season. It’s part of BYU football’s TV contract with ESPN as an Independent program rolling into the Big 12.
One change in bowl pairings this year is w/BYU joining Big 12, @IndyBowl – contracted to select BYU in 2023 – instead becomes a Big 12 bowl. That gives Big 12 seven guaranteed bowls in addition to any CFB Playoff/New Year’s 6 bids it earns. @IndyBowl will pit Big 12 vs. Pac-12
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) May 13, 2023
Former Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby said at the spring business meetings last June that BYU’s TV deal would roll into the Big 12 package.
When BYU was an Independent program, they were contracted to play in the Independence Bowl for the 2021, 2023, and 2025 seasons. They played against UAB in 2021, falling to the Blazers 31-28.
Independence Bowl 2023: Big 12 vs. Pac-12
Whichever Big 12 program goes to Shreveport, Louisiana, to cap off the 2023 season will face a team from the Pac-12 Conference.
McMurphy released his Way-Too-Early bowl projections for 2023 and has BYU facing Washington State at the Independence Bowl.
Adding the Independence Bowl gives the Big 12 Conference seven guaranteed bowl tie-ins for the 2023 season. Those bowl games include New Year’s Six, Alamo Bowl (vs. Pac-12), Cheez-It Bowl (vs. ACC), Texas Bowl (vs. SEC), Liberty Bowl (vs. SEC), Guaranteed Rate Bowl (vs. Big Ten), and now the Independence Bowl.
Rainy Shreveport for today’s @IndyBowl.#UABvsBYU #BYU #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/dNz4jp8Ou4
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) December 18, 2021
The Big 12 Conference will be a 14-team league this season with the additions of newcomers BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF. Plus, Texas and Oklahoma remain in the league for one final season before moving to the SEC.
In order for a college football team to qualify for a bowl game, they have to finish with a record of 6-6.
BYU kicks off the 2023 season against Sam Houston on September 2 in Provo.
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 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU moving to the Big 12 Conference on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.
