The Aug. 29 football season opener between Utah and BYU will kick off at 8:15 p.m. in Provo to accommodate an ESPN telecast, the schools announced Thursday.
The rivalry game, being played in August for the first time, is part of a Thursday night doubleheader on ESPN. Utah hopes to match the longest winning streak for either school in the rivalry with a ninth straight victory, after rallying for a 35-27 win last November.
The Utes will play at the other end of the TV window in their second game, hosting Northern Illinois at 11 a.m. Sept. 7 on the Pac-12 Networks. Utah will meet Idaho State at 2:15 p.m. Sept. 14 on the Pac-12′s Mountain Network and visit USC for its Pac-12 opener at 7 p.m. MDT Sept. 20 (a Friday) in an FS1 telecast.
Three other BYU kickoff times were announced Thursday. The Cougars will visit Tennessee at 5 p.m. MDT Sept. 7 in an ESPN game and host USC at 1:30 p.m. Sept. 14, in a game televised by ABC, ESPN or ESPN2. The Cougars’ Nov. 16 home game vs. Idaho State will kick off at 1 p.m. on BYUtv.
In a previously announced starting time, BYU will visit San Diego State at 7 p.m. MDT Nov. 30. CBS Sports Network will televise the game.