Utah and BYU will play a home-and-home football series in 2011 and 2012 in mid-September, the University of Utah announced today. Men's basketball will play a four-year home-and-home series beginning next year, and rivalry games in other sports are still being negotiated.

As expected, Utah is dropping a game with Boise State to make room for the extra home game next year. What may not have been expected is that Utah is dropping the entire three-game series with Boise State and paying a $350,000 buyout. The Utes will also play a four-game series with Utah State from 2012-2015. As previously announced, Iowa State will not play a return game in Salt Lake City next year, paying Utah a $250,000 buyout in order to accommodate a nine-game Big Ten schedule. Utah will also play FCS (or Div 1AA, for those of you who, like me, think the FCS/FBS names are total crap) Montana State at home and at Pitt in 2011.

The full announcement from Utah athletics is available here.