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Alabama players Amari Cooper (9), Anthony Orr (53), Nick Perry (27), John Fulton (10) and DeAndrew White (2) are shown before the Michigan game at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Saturday, Sept. 1, 2012. (The Birmingham News/ Mark Almond)
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- Alabama and USC have struck a deal to open the 2016 season at the Cowboys Classic in Arlington, Texas.
It will mark the first regular season matchup between two of college football's biggest names since 1978 and the first overall since 1985. The traditional powers have met seven times since 1938 with three of the matchups coming in bowl games.
The game will mark Alabama's fifth consecutive neutral-site showdown with a Power 5 non-conference opponent. It will be the second straight and third overall at AT&T Stadium -- home of the Dallas Cowboys -- as the Crimson Tide will open 2015 against Wisconsin in Arlington. The Crimson Tide played in the fourth Cowboys Classic in 2012 and used it as a launching pad toward its second straight BCS National Championship when it routed Michigan.
The 2016 game, slated for Sept. 3, will take place on the same day Notre Dame faces Texas in Austin.
All told, Alabama is 4-1 in neutral-site games against non-conference opponents during the Nick Saban era. Its only loss came in 2007, Saban's first season, against Florida State in Jacksonville.
The spot for a marquee non-conference game on Alabama's 2016 schedule emerged when it canceled its home-and-home series with Michigan State, which was initially slated for 2016 and 2017. In a May interview, Saban said Alabama was supposed to play Penn State in 2016 but "they bailed out on us."
Though Alabama hasn't played an on-campus game against a marquee non-conference opponent since 2011 (Penn State), Saban said in April that he was still open to them.
"However we can get the best quality opponents is the philosophy we'll use," he said.
The financial perks and ability to play in a recruiting hotspot have made neutral-site games popular at major schools like Alabama and USC. Along with the Michigan State series, Alabama recently nixed a home-and-home series with Georgia Tech set for 2019 and 2020.
Alabama received a $4.7 million check when it played Michigan in 2012. Last year's Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game payout netted the Crimson Tide and Virginia Tech roughly $2.5 million apiece. Michigan and Florida will each receive $6 million when they face each other in Arlington in 2017.
The Crimson Tide will follow its 2016 season opener with its home opener against Western Kentucky. Two spots for non-conference games remain open.