MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama has another regional rival on its future football schedules.
The Jaguars and Tulane will meet three times starting in 2013 after signing a pair of contracts, USA Director of Athletics Dr. Joel Erdmann announced Friday.
The agreement comes two weeks after the Jags and Southern Mississippi — a fellow member of Conference USA with the Green Wave — agreed to a home-and-home series in 2020 and ’21.
In addition to its future Sun Belt Conference opponents (the school will officially be able to compete for the league title after completing a two-tear transition to the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level in 2013), USA now has commitments from seven non-conference FBS foes for games in Mobile. Kent State will be the first to visit in ‘13, with the Jaguars slated to play both Mississippi State and Navy at home the following fall and North Carolina State in ’15. Oklahoma State will also take on USA at Ladd-Peebles Stadium during the 2017 campaign.
“I think it’s a natural fit for us with Tulane being two hours away,” observed Jag head coach Joey Jones. “With us set to be Sun Belt Conference and Tulane in Conference USA, this should be a good rivalry between the two leagues.
“To me it’s a no-brainer that we play them as much as we can.”
The first game between the two schools will take place in New Orleans on Sept. 7, 2013. USA and the Green Wave will then play in back-to-back seasons beginning with a matchup at Tulane on Sept. 28, 2019, with the return game in Mobile set for Oct. 10, 2020.
The agreement means that the Jags have all 12 contests lined up for the 2013 campaign. USA will have eight Sun Belt contests — the opponents and sites for those have yet to be determined, though four will be in Mobile — and a fifth home game against Kent State, with road trips to take on Tennessee, Navy and the Green Wave.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
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