FBSchedules.com reported Monday that BYU and Liberty are canceling future football series with Virginia.
The Virginia-BYU series had actually begun this season with UVA’s trip to Provo on Oct. 31, a 66-49 loss that was coach Bronco Mendenhall’s return to his former stomping grounds.
Virginia and BYU had originally been scheduled to play a home-and-home in 2019 and 2020, but the series was renegotiated to add another home game to the BYU side in what became a two-for-one swap, with UVA hosting in 2023 and a return trip out west in 2025.
According to a copy of the mutual cancellation of football agreement obtained from the University of Virginia by FBSchedules.com, the two schools agreed to cancel the contests in 2023 and 2025 with no financial liability, guaranteed payment, liquidated damages, or rescheduling of the games required of either party.
That agreement was executed on Nov. 11, according to the report.
Virginia and Liberty had been scheduled for a four-game home-and-home that was to begin in 2023 with a game in Charlottesville, games in Lynchburg in 2027 and 2029, and a return to Scott Stadium in 2030.
The series mutually canceled on Dec. 6, according to FBSSchedules.com, four days after Mendenhall announced his intention to step down as the head coach at Virginia.
The timing is almost surely coincidental. According to FBSchedules.com, the cancellations are due to BYU and Liberty both moving from independent status to conferences – BYU to the Big 12, Liberty to Conference USA – and both needing to trim their non-conference slates.
Story by Chris Graham