The University of Southern California and University of Alabama, two of the most historic college football teams, will open the 2016 college football season at the Cowboys Classic in Arlington, Texas.
This will be the first time the two teams have met since 1985, when Alabama beat USC 24-3 in the Aloha Bowl, according to ESPN.com.
New USC head coach Steve Sarkisian said in a statement on USC Athletics, that this game will showcase two of the nation’s most tradition-laden teams that have played a significant role in college football.
This game also fulfills Alabama’s nonconference game against a Big Five conference, the Pac-12, Big Ten, Big Twelve, and ACC. This will be the first year of the SEC rule, which is supposed to increase the conferences nonconference image.
This will be the third high-profile opener for Alabama in three years. This year the Crimson Tide will open against West Virginia in Atlanta, while next year they will play Wisconsin in the Cowboys Classic.
Alabama leads the all-time series 5-2, with the last USC win coming in 1978. The two schools have produced a combined 26 national championships, seven Heisman Trophy winners and 52 College Football Hall of Fame members.