This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Provo • BYU and the University of Arizona announced Friday that they have agreed to a three-game football series against each other, with the games scheduled to be played in 2016, 2018 and 2020.
The 2016 contest will be played on a so-called "neutral field" at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., home of the NFL's Arizona Cardinals. The 2018 game will be played at Arizona Stadium in Tucson and the 2020 game will be played at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo.
Exact dates for the games were not revealed. The 2016 game will be televised by the Pac-12 network station.
"It is a great game for us," BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said. "The regional nature of the games make complete sense. ... Both venues [in Arizona] are exciting for us. We have a ton of [LDS Church] members, a ton of alumni in Arizona."
The Cougars will play in two NFL stadiums in 2016; They are also scheduled to play West Virginia at FedEx Field in the Washington, D.C., area in 2016.
"We are looking to play the best teams on the biggest stages that we can, so it will be an awesome experience for us," Mendenhall said.
Arizona leads the series with BYU 12-9-1, with the first game coming in 1936 and the last matchup in the 2008 Las Vegas Bowl, a 31-21 Arizona win.
"This is a great regional series and a unique opportunity for our large fan base in Arizona to see us play," said BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe. "I believe the venue and location [in Phoenix] will attract a lot of our fans in support of the Cougars."
Arizona has won two of the last three matchups with BYU. The Wildcats won 16-13 in Tucson in 2006, while BYU won 20-7 in Provo in 2007.
Twitter: @drewjay