Utes Schedule First Ever SEC Opponent To Play At Rice Eccles
Jul 31, 2019, 11:44 AM | Updated: 11:49 am
Wild Band of Razorbacks monument outside of Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium of the Arkansas Razorbacks before a game against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Razorback Stadium on October 27, 2018 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Commodores defeated the Razorbacks 45-31. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
(Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The University of Utah has scheduled The University of Arkansas in a “home and home” series for 2026 and 2028. It was first announced by the Arkansas Football official Twitter account.
Schedules are subject to change, although as it stands right now this will be the first time an SEC opponent comes to Rice Eccles Stadium.
Utah has played SEC opponents in the past, most notably Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, however, no SEC team has ever played at Rice Eccles Stadium.
Headed out west to take on @Utah_Football in 2⃣0⃣2⃣6⃣ and we'll host them inside DWRRS 2⃣0⃣2⃣8⃣.
➡️ https://t.co/n3NBlzAovA pic.twitter.com/rSDE62l3gJ
— Arkansas Razorback Football (@RazorbackFB) July 31, 2019
This could be a result of the stadium expansion having an immediate impact when it comes to scheduling.
Utah hosted Texas A&M in 2003, back when A&M was a member of the Big-12 conference, not the SEC.
Currently, Utah has Arkansas and Houston scheduled for 2026. In 2028 Arkansas is the only team on Utah’s schedule.
No BYU?
Could this mean BYU will not be on the Utes schedule for 2026?
Generally speaking, Utah schedules an FCS opponent along with two FBS teams. In this case, Utah already has Houston and Arkansas on the schedule, suggesting that a Weber State or Idaho State will fill the final non-conference schedule leaving BYU out.
That is not confirmed, there is still a chance that BYU fills the final nonconference game in 2026 leaving Utah with Houston, Arkansas and BYU. Only time will tell.
In 2015, Utah did not play BYU. This was a result of Utah scheduling Michigan over BYU.
Utah Athletic Director and the man in charge of scheduling, Mark Harlan and Arkansas Athletic Director, Hunter Yuracheck, have known each other for some time. They were both athletic directors in the AAC when Harlan oversaw the University of Central Florida and Yuracheck was in charge of Houston’s athletic department.
“We appreciate the opportunity to put together an agreement with Arkansas for our football programs to play one another in 2026 and 2028,” said Harlan. “We will continue to look at the premier programs in the country as we build out our future schedules to bring value to our football program and to our fanbase.”
