Independence and Future Opponents

When BYU announced it was going independent in football, one of the driving forces was an opportunity for national exposure through a partnership with ESPN and BYU Broadcasting. The Cougars also sought better access to television games for its national fan base and the opportunity to schedule high-profile opponents. To this point, this past season while going 11-1 to finish No. 11 in the final polls, BYU appeared on an ESPN network 10 times (ESPN six games, ESPN2 three games, ESPNU once) with its two additional games also being broadcast on national channels, Fox Sports 1 and BYUtv.  

Over the past 10 seasons since embarking on football independence in 2011, BYU has faced 63 different teams from 35 different states, representing every FBS conference as well as Notre Dame and other fellow independent programs. BYU has played 43 games against Power 5 conference opponents in that span and has nearly 40 future matchups already scheduled entering the 2021 season with teams from the P5 leagues.  

Below is a year-by-year breakdown of the announced opponents (in no particular order) on future BYU football schedules: