facebook-pixel

Utah football will play LSU in a future home-and-home

(Rick Egan | Tribune file photo) Utah Utes fans cheer on their team, in PAC-12 football action between the Colorado Buffaloes and the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019.

  | Feb. 17, 2020, 6:41 p.m.
| Updated: 9:12 p.m.

If you’re not doing anything in the fall of 2031, the University of Utah football team has a high-profile opponent visiting Rice-Eccles Stadium.

The Utes announced on Monday a home-and-home series with LSU in 2031 and 2032. The Utes will host the Tigers, winners of last season’s College Football Playoff, on Sept. 6, 2031. Utah will visit Tiger Stadium on Sept. 11, 2032.

A series with LSU represents the latest example of Utah, Pac-12 South champion each of the past two season, beefing up its non-conference schedule, a long-stated desire of Utes Athletic Director Mark Harlan.

“Our aspirations to continue to grow and elevate our football program make opportunities like this especially important," Harlan said in a statement. “For our student-athletes, it is an incredible opportunity to play a high-profile opponent in two fantastic environments. It also is incredibly attractive to our fans to host a team like LSU at Rice-Eccles Stadium and to go on the road to Baton Rouge and cheer on their Utes.”

On Sept. 23, the Gainesville (Fla.) Sun was first to report a home-and-home between Utah and the University of Florida. The teams will play at Griffin Stadium in 2022, then Rice-Eccles in 2023. The game in Salt Lake City will mark Florida’s first true non-conference road game outside the state of Florida in 32 years.

The Florida series caused Utah to defer two games against instate rival BYU. Utah-BYU has been extended through 2028. The Utes and Cougars have seven more games scheduled through 2028. They will play at Utah in 2020, 2024, 2026 and 2028, and at BYU in 2021, 2025 and 2027.

With Monday’s news, Utah has 26 non-conference games scheduled between 2020-32. Of those 26, six will be against SEC opponents. Aside from Florida and LSU, the Utes have signed off on and announced home-and-home agreements with Arkansas (2026 and 2028). Utah will also play Baylor twice, in Waco in 2023 and at Rice-Eccles in 2024.