Utah Tech’s trip to Provo on Saturday night comes with a familiar kind of college football math: a big paycheck for the smaller program, and a massive point spread to match.
BYU will pay Utah Tech $450,000 for the game at LaVell Edwards Stadium, according to an amended contract signed in August 2022 by then-BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe and current Utah Tech AD Ken Beazer. The Deseret News obtained the deal recently through a government open records request.
That figure is up from the original agreement, which was signed in June 2020 and called for the game to be played on Nov. 16, 2024, with BYU paying then-Dixie State University $400,000. The contract was revised and the guarantee bumped by $50,000 after BYU needed to move the matchup to this year following its invitation to the Big 12 in 2021.
On the field, Utah Tech arrives as a heavy underdog after getting routed 54-0 by Montana State last Saturday. Oddsmakers have the Trailblazers projected to lose by more than 47 points against No. 14 BYU, which is coming off a 12-2 season and is expected to contend for the Big 12 title in 2026, with a possible path to the College Football Playoff.
The contract also requires the officials’ association that normally assigns BYU home games to handle the crew for Saturday night, with BYU covering those costs. Utah Tech will also get 300 complimentary tickets, plus the option to request as many as 2,000 additional tickets on consignment at printed face value.
Even with the $450,000 payout, BYU is getting a deal compared with what it paid another FCS opponent. The Cougars gave Portland State $650,000 to open last season at LES, then rolled to a 69-0 win.
BYU’s rival, Utah, is also opening the season with a payday game against a Big Sky opponent. Idaho visits Rice-Eccles Stadium on Thursday night, and the Deseret News reported on July 16 that the Utes are paying Idaho $600,000. That contract also includes 300 complimentary tickets and the option to buy up to 2,000 tickets in the visitors’ section.
Utah is likewise set to pay Utah State $600,000 for the Aggies’ visit on Sept. 19. That game will be Bronco Mendenhall’s first return to Rice-Eccles Stadium as Utah State’s second-year coach and former BYU coach since Sept. 15, 2012, when Utah fans stormed the field three times before the Utes held on for a 24-21 win.
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