The Aug. 29 football season opener between Utah and BYU will kick off at 8:15 p.m. in Provo to accommodate an ESPN telecast, the schools announced Thursday.
The rivalry game, being played in August for the first time, is part of a Thursday night doubleheader on ESPN. Utah hopes to match the longest winning streak for either school in the rivalry with a ninth straight victory, after rallying for a 35-27 win last November.
The Utes will play at the other end of the TV window in their second game, hosting Northern Illinois at 11 a.m. Sept. 7 on the Pac-12 Networks. Utah will meet Idaho State at 2:15 p.m. Sept. 14 on the Pac-12′s Mountain Network and visit USC for its Pac-12 opener at 7 p.m. MDT Sept. 20 (a Friday) in an FS1 telecast.
Three other BYU kickoff times were announced Thursday. The Cougars will visit Tennessee at 5 p.m. MDT Sept. 7 in an ESPN game and host USC at 1:30 p.m. Sept. 14, in a game televised by ABC, ESPN or ESPN2. The Cougars’ Nov. 16 home game vs. Idaho State will kick off at 1 p.m. on BYUtv.
In a previously announced starting time, BYU will visit San Diego State at 7 p.m. MDT Nov. 30. CBS Sports Network will televise the game.
Kurt Kragthorpe has worked continuously for daily newspapers in Utah since 1977. He moved to The Tribune in 1990 and had a nine-year stint as sports editor, in between writing assignments that have included six Olympic Games, as well as several Super Bowls and major golf tournaments. Kurt and his wife, Sandra, enjoy traveling nationally and interna