Boise State will open football season on the road, host rival BYU in farewell game
Boise State will open the football season this year with two true road games for the first time since 2005.
The Broncos will open the 2022 season with games at Oregon State (Sept. 3) and New Mexico (Sept. 10). Boise State opened the 2005 season with games at Georgia and Oregon State, and lost both.
While its schedule is front-loaded with road games, Boise State will end the regular season at home for the first time in four years when it hosts defending Mountain West champion Utah State on Nov. 26. The Broncos also ended the 2018 season at home against Utah State.
Wednesday’s announcement represents the first phase in the 2022 football schedule process. The Mountain West’s national television partners, CBS Sports and Fox, will now initiate a selection procedure, which may include shifting away from Saturday. Kickoff times and broadcast information will be released at a later date.
The Mountain West championship game will be played Dec. 3 and will be hosted by the divisional champion with the highest winning percentage.
Boise State’s home opener is scheduled for Sept. 17 against Tennessee Martin, but three of the Broncos’ first four games are on the road. The schedule takes a difficult turn with back-to-back home games against San Diego State (Oct. 1) and Fresno State (Oct. 8) before the Broncos’ bye week on Oct. 15.
The Broncos also host BYU on Nov. 5 in what will be the final game between the rivals for the foreseeable future. The Cougars accepted an invitation to join the Big 12 in October and will join the conference in 2023.
The rivals have played every year since 2012, including last year when the Broncos knocked off the then-No. 10 Cougars in Provo, Utah. Boise State and BYU were scheduled to play in 2023 before taking 2024 off and resuming their annual meeting the following year, but Boise State Athletic Director Jeramiah Dickey said in January that this year’s game will be it for now.
“I have hope we can get a (home-and-home series) in the future, but they need to figure out their Big 12 schedule and I completely understand,” Dickey wrote on Twitter.
Boise State is 8-4 all-time against BYU.
The Broncos finished 7-5 last season and accepted an invitation to the Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl, but Boise State was forced to pull out because of COVID-19 issues in the program and the game was canceled.
Boise State enters the 2022 season on a streak of 24 consecutive winning seasons (1998-2021), which is tied with Texas (1893-1916) for the 13th-longest streak in Football Bowl Subdivision history.
Boise State’s 2022 schedule
Sept. 3: at Oregon State
Sept. 10: at New Mexico
Sept. 17: vs. Tennessee Martin
Sept. 24: at UTEP
Oct. 1: vs. San Diego State
Oct. 8: vs. Fresno State
Oct. 22: at Air Force
Oct. 29: vs. Colorado State
Nov. 5: vs. BYU
Nov. 12: at Nevada
Nov. 19: at Wyoming
Nov. 26: vs. Utah State
* Kickoff times and TV broadcast information will be announced at a later date
This story was originally published February 16, 2022 at 2:28 PM.
