It was a big heartache last season when Utah athletics director Chris Hill announced the 2014 and 2015 seasons would not include a game with BYU. But what seemed to be a halt to a fierce rivalry had signs of hope.
BYU running back Jamaal Williams (21) cuts through the Utah defense during the second quarter of the Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 game in Salt Lake City. A new pair of BYU/Utah games will be played in 2017 and 2018. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
'Our intent is to continue to schedule BYU unless unusual circumstances dictate otherwise. In no way does this signal an end to the rivalry,' Hill said in the announcement last year
Hill and BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe have been in talks for a while to negotiate a contract to satisfy Cougars and Ute fans alike. Today, Hill announced they would continue the decades-old rivalry in 2017.
'It looks like in 2017 we'll be playing in September,' Hill said. 'And in an unusual situation, in 2018, we'll be playing the last game of the year.'
Both of these games are pending Pac-12 approval.
'I can again assure you that we're putting things together,' Hill said. 'We'll get a final approval from the league in early August, and then we'll make sure we can make a formal announcement, if not sooner.'
The 2017 game is slated for Provo and the game in 2018 for Salt Lake City. The 2013 game will be the last game before the two-year hiatus and the rivalry's continuation in 2016 in Salt Lake City.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grANAE6IJ60#at=63