BYU eager to continue in-state rivalry

If Brigham Young and Utah end their longstanding football rivalry, it won't be the Cougars who pull the plug.

"We will do everything we can to keep that going," athletic director Tom Holmoe said. "I love this game against Utah. We are trying like crazy to finish it off and get a contract for the next couple of years."

The Cougars and Utes play Sept. 15 in Salt Lake City in the 88th meeting of a series that began in 1922. The teams are not scheduled to play beyond next fall, and there is speculation that Utah may end the series to better prepare for its Pac-12 schedule. BYU, as an independent, has much more scheduling freedom.

"There are rumors that we are not going to play the game. All I know is we are going to play in 2012," Holmoe said. "(Utah athletic director) Chris Hill and I have dates that we have penciled in as we look forward."

BYU and Utah met on Sept. 17, 2011, in Provo to accommodate Utah's conference schedule. It was the earliest meeting in the history of the series, and the Utes won, 54-10.

"I realize that it's not the last game of the season anymore," Holmoe said. "We have adapted to that transition, and we are OK with it. Some people think it's weird to play them earlier in the season, but I want to play them, and that's what my focus will be on."

■ CLOSE TO HOME -- The Cougars announced their football schedule this week, and it will keep BYU close to home for the first seven weeks of the season.

The Cougars open in Provo against Washington State on Sept. 1 and host Weber State on Sept. 8. BYU plays at Utah on Sept. 15 and at Boise State on Sept. 22. The Cougars then host Hawaii on Sept. 29, Utah State on Oct. 5 and Oregon State on Oct. 13.

BYU plays at Notre Dame on Oct. 20 and at Georgia Tech on Oct. 27. The Cougars finish their second season as an independent against three Western Athletic Conference schools: at home against Idaho on Nov. 10, followed by road games at San Jose State on Nov. 17 and at New Mexico State on Nov. 24.

Should the Cougars become bowl eligible, they will play in the Poinsettia Bowl on Dec. 20 in San Diego.

ESPN and BYUtv's broadcast schedule will be announced this summer.

■ GETTING TOUGHER -- BYU's tentative 2013 football schedule includes home games against Texas, Georgia Tech, Boise State and possibly Utah. The Cougars have scheduled road games at Notre Dame, Houston, Hawaii, Utah State and Washington State.

"I still need a couple of games for 2013," Holmoe said. "I'm trying to figure out where we get those last few games and make sure we don't overload too much."

■ NEW TERRITORY -- Distance runner Miles Batty takes the men's indoor track and field team into new territory as the Cougars make their debut at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championships Feb. 24 and 25 in Seattle. BYU has competed the past 12 years in the Mountain West Conference.

Batty last week established a collegiate indoor mile record of 3 minutes, 54.54 seconds in the Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games in New York City. He is also the national champion in the mile and will look to retain his title at the indoor national championships March 8 to 10 in Nampa, Idaho.

■ SANDER SIDELINED -- Sophomore All-American Taylor Sander will miss at least another month of the men's volleyball season with a broken right hand he suffered in practice.

BYU is averaging 4,595 fans a game at the Smith Field House, the highest average among any Division I-II men's volleyball programs, according to NCAA statistics.

The third-ranked Cougars (8-3) host California Baptist today and Saturday at 6 p.m. PST on BYUtv (Cable 352).

Dave McCann is a morning news anchor on KLAS-TV (Channel 8). He hosts "True Blue" at 5 p.m. Monday on BYUtv and is the play-by-play voice for BYUtv. He can be reached at dmccann@8newsnow.com and on Twitter: @davemccann8.