Following a debacle of sorts that left people questioning BYU’s “any team, any time, any place” mentality about adding opponents to the schedule, BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe released a statement Monday that the Cougars are still “open to exploring options.”
On Sunday, news broke that Washington reached out to BYU about scheduling a game on Nov. 28. The Huskies are currently 2-0 and only have two games left on the schedule, so their chances of making the College Football Playoffs look slim.
According to FOX Sports reporter Bruce Feldman, BYU turned down the opportunity because the Cougars wanted to wait until the CFP rankings were released Tuesday to better gauge their place.
However, it’s not that simple.
When the Pac-12 conference announced they would allow nonconference games, it released a list of demands possible opponents would have to abide to. The biggest caveat being that if a league opponent becomes available by Thursday, the game will go to them.
Ultimately, BYU wanted a contract to secure the game that Washington couldn’t provide.
“At this point of the season, having played nine games and being nationally ranked, we are involved in discussions for possible matchups with other teams, on common open dates, for the benefit of both teams,” Holmoe said.
The Cougars’ best chance to get Utah on the schedule looked to be this week, as Arizona State has been dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak that even reached coach Herm Edwards. The Sun Devils went ahead and changed the Utah game to Sunday from Saturday, but a cancelation further down the week is still possible.
Should Arizona State cancel, Washington and Utah would most likely fit in a game, leaving BYU out.
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