New Citrus Bowl-2.jpg
Citrus Bowl Stadium.
(file photo)
The neutral-site season-opening trend will continue for Alabama.
The Crimson Tide will start the 2018 season in a new place under a familiar format, according to ESPN. The network is reporting Alabama will face Louisville on Sept. 1, 2018 in the renovated Citrus Bowl in Orlando.
Louisville athletics director Tom Jurich told a local radio station Thursday that they were planning to announce a high-profile football opponent soon.
It will be the seventh straight season Alabama opened with a high-profile neutral-site game. The Tide last played a home-and-home series outside the SEC in 2010 and 2011 with Penn State.
Since Alabama started playing season-opening, neutral-site games in 2008, the Tide is unbeaten in five games. It lost to Florida State in Jacksonville during Nick Saban's first Alabama season in 2007.
Alabama hasn't played Louisville since losing 34-7 in the 1991 Fiesta Bowl.
Alabama non-conference, neutral-site games
2008: Clemson, W 34-10 (Atlanta)
2009: Virginia Tech, W 34-24 (Atlanta)
2012: Michigan, W 41-14 (Arlington, Texas)
2013: Virginia Tech, W 35-10 (Atlanta)
2014: West Virginia, 33-23 (Atlanta)
2015: Wisconsin (Arlington, Texas)
2016: USC (Arlington, Texas)
2017: Florida State (Atlanta)
2018: Louisville (Orlando)
2019: TBA*
2020: TBA*
* Contract calls for Alabama to negotiate for game in Arlington, Texas game in 2019 or 2020