LSU will face BYU in Houston to open its 2017 season, the school announced Thursday.
The teams will meet in Houston on Sept. 2, 2017 as part of the AdvoCare Texas Kickoff at NRG Stadium.
The Tigers knocked off Wisconsin, 28-24, in front of a sellout crowd of 71,599 in the 2014 version of the game with a fourth-quarter comeback.
It also gives LSU the chance to establish a stronger recruiting stronghold in the largest metropolis in the state of Texas. That’s become increasingly important as Texas A&M and Kevin Sumlin have infringed a bit on LSU’s recruiting territory and continue to land Top 10 classes.
The turnout and response to the 2014 game “far exceeded our expectations,” director of athletics Joe Alleva said.
Though the Cougars currently don’t meet the SEC’s requirement that each member institution schedules at least one power-conference opponent outside of league play each season, there have been rumblings about BYU, currently independent, joining a conference, potentially the Big 12. The Tigers already have that clause covered with a contest against the ACC’s Syracuse in 2017.
LSU will also play Troy and Georgia Southern as part of the 2017 non-conference schedule.
BYU has played in 10 consecutive bowl games under head coach Bronco Mendenhall and represents a respected opponent. The Tigers and Cougars have never played.
It seems unlikely that running back Leonard Fournette still will be playing for the Tigers in 2017, though it would be his true senior season, but five-star LB Clifton Garrett and four-star DT Travonte Valentine could spearhead LSU’s defense by that time.
The AdvoCare Texas Kickoff will feature Texas A&M-Arizona State in 2015 and Oklahoma-Houston in 2016.
ESPN Events has an eight-year agreement with the game which runs through 2020.
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
