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Baylor quarterback Dequan Finn scores against Tarleton State on an end around play in the first half of an college football game, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, in Waco, Texas. | Rod Aydelotte
Nine years ago, Baylor and Utah announced a home-and-home football series.
How times have changed since then.
Back in the spring of 2015, when the series was agreed to, Utah was in its third year of Pac-12 Conference membership and starting to find its footing in the Power Five league after posting a 9-4 record in 2014. Baylor, meanwhile, was coming off of back-to-back 11-win seasons and back-to-back Big 12 championships.
Now, after the collapse of the Pac-12, the two teams are both in the Big 12.
When the Utes officially accepted their invite to the Big 12 in August of last year, athletic director Mark Harlan had an issue on his hands. Two of the three teams on Utah’s nonconference schedule — Baylor and BYU — were now conference-mates. Football schedules fill up fast, with schools booking nonleague games out a decade or more, so Harlan had to scramble to make sure Utah had a full slate of games.
The Big 12 definitely wanted the 2024 edition of the Utah-BYU rivalry — which was on the schedule as a nonconference contest — to be a conference affair. That left Utah with an opening, which the Utes filled by agreeing to a two-and-one series with Utah State (two home games, one away game). The Utes are set to head north to Maverik Stadium this fall for the first time since 2012.
Because of how tough it would have been to find two nonleague opponents in less than a year, Utah and Baylor elected to keep the matchup as a nonconference game, which means the Utes effectively play 10 Big 12 games this season — though only nine count for the conference standings.
“It is a unique situation,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. “… Who…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/utah-slow-down-dual-threat-200000300.html
Author : Deseret News
Publish date : 2024-09-06 20:00:00
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