SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – A date has been set for the Utah Utes‘ 2023 home opener and it’s landing on Thursday night.

Utah Football announced on Tuesday that it will kick off the 2023 Pac-12 Conference season at Rice Eccles Stadium on Thursday, Aug. 31, hosting the Gators of the University of Florida.

According to the Pac-12 Conference website, the game was tentatively set for either Thursday or Saturday, Sept. 2. Ultimately, the Conference settled on Thursday as the day for the Utes to begin the title defense of their back-to-back Pac-12 championships.

The Utes’ home opener will also be a “Red Out,” encouraging fans to show up at Rice Eccles Stadium wearing red in support of the team.

The defending back-to-back Pac-12 Champions are 13-1 under Head Coach Kyle Whittingham when starting a season on a weekday. The last time the Utes played on a Thursday was in 2021 when the Utes trounced Weber State, 40-17.

In 2022, the team went 10-4 overall and 7-2 in the Pac-12 to earn a second Pac-12 Championship in as many years and a second straight appearance in the “Granddaddy of Them All,” the Rose Bowl.

Utah Football will announce a game time for the home opener, as well as where it will broadcast, at a later date.

The full Utes Pac-12 Football schedule can be found below:

The Pac-12 Championship game is scheduled to be played in Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium on Friday, Dec. 1.