:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47203590/usa-today-7449450.0.jpg)
Utah and BYU will now play in 2019 and 2020 to open the season each year. The 2019 game will be played in Provo and the 2020 in Salt Lake City. Utah and BYU already have games on the book for the 2016 (at Utah on Sept. 10), 2017 (at BYU on Sept. 9) and 2018 (at Utah on Nov. 24) seasons prior to this announcement.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">It’s official. <a href="https://twitter.com/Utah_Football">@Utah_Football</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/BYUfootball">@BYUFootball</a> will meet opening week of 2019 (in Provo) and 2020 (in SLC). <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/goutes?src=hash">#goutes</a></p>— Utah Athletics (@utahathletics) <a href="https://twitter.com/utahathletics/status/644224387999211520">September 16, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Utah athletic director Dr. Chris Hill hinted that the deal was close to being done prior to the start of the 2015 season when he issued a statement on the rivalry (you can read the full statement here). The reaction from most Utah fans that I have talked to is that they have not missed the rivalry game with BYU the past two seasons because Utah had a premier nonconference opponent in Michigan, in addition to all of the big name programs in the Pac-12, on the schedule.
Personally, I do not love this. There were already three games on the schedule between Utah and BYU. As I have stated before, Utah is 0-6 in the game before and after playing BYU since joining the Pac-12. It may be coincidence, but Utah also had their first winning record in Pac-12 play the year they did not play BYU (going 5-4 in Pac-12 play in 2014). In years when Utah plays BYU, BYU will be the premier nonconference game on the schedule for the Utes. BYU always plays Utah tough because of the rivalry, but BYU is not in a Power 5 conference, so the game will never get the attention of the national media that the Michigan game did. I do not want the rivalry to end completely because there is a ton of history, but I would rather not see it as an every year thing, more like two years on two years off. That way, Utah can schedule games against Power 5 opponents in states like Florida or Texas to help with recruiting in those areas, which are two states where Utah pulls a lot of prospects.