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BYU adds Georgia Southern, Houston, Hawaii to future football schedules

New home-and-home agreements begin in 2020

FILE - In this Nov. 14, 2015, file photo, Houston players sing a song in front of the student section before an NCAA college football game against Memphis in Houston. After the Cougars have finished their pregame warmups, they gather in front of the student section, lock arms and sway back and forth while engaging in a call-and-response with the students, who also are locking arms and swaying. The practice started in 2015. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

  | Nov. 30, 2017, 7:53 p.m.


Provo • BYU may be looking for a place to land its independent football program, but the Cougars continue to schedule as if they plan to be outside a conference well into the future.

BYU announced Thursday agreements for future football games with Houston, Hawaii and a program it has never played before, Georgia Southern of the Sun Belt Conference.

Houston will visit BYU on Oct. 17, 2020 and a BYU will visit Houston on Oct. 7, 2023.

Already scheduled to host Hawaii in 2018, the Cougars will also host the Rainbow Warriors on Sept. 14, 2014 in Provo. The Cougars, who won 30-20 at Hawaii last Saturday, will return to Aloha Stadium again on Sept. 6, 2025.

Georgia Southern was a longtime FCS power before transitioning to the FBS level in 2014.

The Cougars will play at Georgia Southern’s Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Ga., on Nov. 20, 2021 and host the Eagles on Oct. 12, 2024 at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo.

Georgia Southern won the Sun Belt Conference championship in 2014, becoming the third program in NCAA history to win a conference title in its first FBS season. The Eagles went 8-0 in league play and 9-3 overall that year.

BYU’s 2018 schedule has been set for quite some time. The Cougars will open the season on Sept. 1 at Arizona. Their 2018 home opener is scheduled for Sept. 8 against California.