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ESPN announces broadcast plans for BYU football season

One of BYU's main objectives when announcing its football team would go independent at the start of the 2011 season was to gain more national exposure. Now approaching their ninth season without any conference affiliation, the Cougars have a schedule filled with nationally broadcast games.

On Thursday, May 30, ESPN announced plans to nationally broadcast seven BYU football games in 2019 in addition to a previously-announced matchup against Utah State.

BYU's first four games of the season will be broadcast on ESPN network. The Cougars open the 2019 campaign at home against rival Utah on Thursday, Aug. 29, at 8:15 p.m. MT on ESPN. BYU then travels to SEC country to take on Tennessee on Saturday, Sept. 7, at 5 p.m. MT, also on ESPN.

BYU's third game of the season will be back at home against USC on Saturday, Sept. 14, at 1:30 p.m. MT on either ABC, ESPN or ESPN2. The Cougars stay at home the following week for another Pac-12 matchup against Washington on Saturday, Sept. 21, on an ESPN network.

ESPN will also broadcast home games against Boise State (Oct. 19) and Liberty (Nov. 9) on either ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU in addition to BYU's road matchup against Utah State on Nov. 2. The Cougars' final home game against Idaho State (Nov. 16) will be broadcast on both BYUtv and ESPN3.

BYU's final game of the regular season against San Diego State (Nov. 30) is also set to be broadcast on national television but on the CBS Sports Network.

ESPN also recently announced it will broadcast the 2019 SoFi Hawaii Bowl, a bowl game which the Cougars have agreed to play in if they are bowl eligible by the end of the 2019 season and are not selected to participate in a New Year’s Six bowl game. The game is scheduled for Dec. 24 at 6 p.m. MT.

BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe mentioned earlier this year that although the Cougars are coming up on their final season of a nine-year contract with ESPN, the two sides have already begun negotiations for another long-term extension.