Football schedules BYU for 2021 and 2022

Photo credit: Penelope Shirey

Baylor’s “strength of schedule” was at the center of the Bears’ at-large bid for the College Football Playoff, and was hotly debated by pundits throughout the nation over the past two seasons.

After announcing a game against Ole Miss that will take place in 2020, Baylor football continues to add strong, non-conference opponents to its distant schedules.

On Thursday, Baylor signed a two-year home-and-home contract with Brigham Young University that will take place in the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

“We are excited to set a home-and-home series with a tradition-rich, faith-based football program like BYU,” said Baylor Director of Athletics Ian McCaw. “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 Bears last played the Cougars on the road in 1984, losing that matchup 47-13, but the previous yea,r the Bears beat the Cougars 40-36 in Waco.

“We are excited to have Baylor on our schedule again,” said BYU Director of Athletics Tom Holmoe. “The last series between the two schools featured two legendary hall of fame coaches in LaVell Edwards and Grant Teaff. Baylor is an exceptional football program, and it’s great to see the two schools competing again.”

With the Bears signing a top-20 recruiting class and head coach Art Briles leading the way, the program’s future looks to be in good hands and headed in the right direction.

“I expected to just jump out there and be what we were when we finished against North Carolina [in the Russell Athletic Bowl], but what I expected and what I got are two different things,” Briles said. “Now we know what we are working with and how to deal with it.”