The University of Utah football program will open the 2028 and 2030 seasons against an in-state foe.
The Utes announced on Friday morning that both of those seasons will open at Rice-Eccles Stadium against Dixie State. Those matchups will take place on Aug. 31, 2028, and Aug. 29, 2030, respectively.
The Trailblazers are currently Division II, but are moving to the WAC beginning later this year in all sports except football. The WAC does not sponsor football, so the Trailblazers will move to FCS independent status.
“It seems like [the series] is a long way out, but it will be here before we know it,” Dixie State coach Paul Peterson said in a statement. “Our goal is to compete at the highest level of college football and the University of Utah is one of the best programs in the country. This will serve to boost our jump to [NCAA] D-1 competition, and with our fantastic leadership, upcoming new facilities, increased enrollment and overall growth here in St. George, we will be closer to competing at [Utah’s] level when this series happens.”
Utah’s 2028 nonconference slate is now complete. After Dixie State, the Utes will host BYU on Sept. 9 and travel to Arkansas on Sept 16. The BYU game in 2028 is, for now, the last scheduled game between the two, while the Arkansas game is the back end of a two-game agreement, which will bring the Razorbacks to Rice-Eccles in 2026.
Utah will pay Dixie State a combined guarantee of $575,000 for the two games, according to a Utah Athletics spokesperson.
