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Utah football agrees to future games against Houston and Weber State

(Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah head football coach Kyle Whittingham keeps and eye on the action during the University of Utah football team's first scrimmage at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City Friday March 30, 2018.

  | May 24, 2018, 8:32 p.m.
| Updated: May 25, 2018, 3:15 a.m.

The far-away future is being pieced together for the Utah football team.

The Utes announced Thursday they have agreed to non-conference dates with Weber State as well as the University of Houston. The agreement between Utah and Weber State has the two teams facing off Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023, at Rice-Eccles Stadium, pending the approval of the Pac-12 Conference.

The Pac-12 has the option to move the game to September 1 or 2, per the announcement. The Utes and Wildcats will meet in 2021 and will open up their 2018 seasons against each other Thursday, Aug. 30, this fall. Weber State head coach Jay Hill is a former assistant coach under Kyle Whittingham at Utah and a year ago led the Wildcats to an 11-3 record and Big Sky Conference crown.

Utah’s upcoming home-and-home series against Houston is scheduled to take place in 2026 and 2027. The first meeting is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, in Houston, while the second game is scheduled to take place Saturday, Sept. 11, 2027, at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

The Cougars went 7-5 in 2017 under coach Major Applewhite. Former Utah quarterback and offensive coordinator Brian Johnson served as Houston’s offensive coordinator in 2017 before re-joining former Utah offensive coordinator Dan Mullen at the University of Florida where Johnson is the new quarterbacks coach.