Orange to play BYU
Syracuse NY Herald 24Jun99 L3
By Donnie Webb

BYU and Syracuse University will face each other twice in football over the next few years. The schools have signed an agreement to play first in Syracuse's Carrier Dome in fall 2000. Then the Orangemen will start their 2002 season in Provo.

BYU asked to play Syracuse because its move from the Western Athletic Conference to the new Mountain West Conference, effective July 1st, opened more games in its schedule. In addition, the NCAA is allowing schools to play 12 games during the football season instead of 11.

BYU has long sought opportunities to play in the East because of its national following among members of the LDS Church. Syracuse is especially interesting because it is just about one hour from Palmyra, New York, the site of the boyhood home of Joseph Smith. BYU athletic director Val Hale says the team will almost certainly take a trip to Palmyra when they come, "That wasn't the primary purpose (of the series), but it's a great side benefit," he said. "We'll have a lot of fans and players who will be very interested in doing a little sight-seeing."