PROVO — Despite all of the schedule changes BYU has endured due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Cougars could play Boise State in football this fall after all.
Mountain West Conference commissioner Craig Thompson opened the door of that possibility Friday when discussing the league’s return to football beginning Oct. 24.
BYU and BSU were originally scheduled to meet Friday, Nov. 6 in Boise. On their adjusted schedule, the Cougars have a bye the first weekend in November.
“Right now, Army and Navy and Air Force will be out of conference. There is the potential that Boise State-BYU’s previously scheduled game could be played,” Thompson said. “Other than that, it will be all in the conference. Everyone is scheduled to play a maximum of eight games, with the exception of Air Force.
“If Boise State plays BYU, they would play seven Mountain West games. Everything is unique this year so we are adjusting on the fly. We are working frantically and expeditiously. We have several scheduling models. We don’t want to pin ourselves in, but in the very near future we will have a schedule.”
The Cougars and Broncos have played every year since 2012 and the two programs are scheduled to continue playing well into the future. They agreed to a deal that would see them play every year from 2021-34, except for 2024.
BYU knocked off No. 14 Boise State last season in Provo, 28-25.
The Broncos lead the all-time series, 7-3. The Cougars have never beaten BSU on the blue turf of Albertsons Stadium.
BYU opened with season with a dominating 55-3 thumping of Navy on Sept. 7. The No. 18 Cougars host Troy on Saturday. BYU has seven games left on its schedule with the possibility of a game against Army, originally scheduled for Sept. 19, being rescheduled in late November.