BAYLOR FOOTBALL ADDS HOME-AND-HOME SERIES WITH BYU

Bears and Cougars to meet in 2021 and 2022 seasons.

WACO, Texas — Baylor will face BYU in football during the 2021 and 2022 seasons following the signing of a two-year home-and-home contract announced Thursday. The Bears and Cougars will play in 2021 at Baylor’s McLane Stadium and 2022 at BYU’s Lavell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah.

"We are excited to set a home and home series with a tradition-rich, faith-based football program like BYU,” Baylor Director of Athletics Ian McCaw said. “This will be another strength of schedule enhancement and a high quality intersectional game that will be appealing to television and the fans of both programs.”

The teams have split two previous meetings, with Baylor winning 40-36 in Waco in 1983 and BYU defeating the Bears 47-13 in Provo in 1984 en route to being named the AP and UPI poll national champions.

The upcoming games against BYU, an FBS independent in football, have been approved by Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby to be recognized as the equivalent of a non-conference game vs. a Power Five opponent.

With the addition of BYU, Baylor’s schedules will include 10 Power Five-level games in seven of the next nine seasons (nine Big 12 Conference games per season, plus Duke in 2017 and 2018, a yet-to-be-announced SEC opponent in 2020, BYU in 2021 and 2022, and Utah in 2023 and 2024).

Baylor finished the 2015 season ranked 13th nationally and as Russell Athletic Bowl champions (49-38 win over No. 10 North Carolina), its school-record sixth straight bowl appearance. Under Briles, the Bears have won a Big 12-best 50 games over the last five seasons, including two conference championships and three bowl wins.

The Bears signed a top-20 ranked recruiting class this spring and open their 2016 season Sept. 3 at McLane Stadium (vs. Northwestern State).