The Alabama Crimson Tide have added a game against Western Carolina to their 2014 football schedule, according to documents obtained by The Tuscaloosa News.
Alabama will host Western Carolina at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Nov. 22, 2014. The contest is part of a two-game contract which also has the Catamounts visiting Tuscaloosa this season (Nov. 17).
The Crimson Tide is 1-0 against the Catamounts after a 52-0 beating in 2004. Due to NCAA sanctions levied against the program, Alabama had to vacate a 2007 win against WCU.
Florida Atlantic, who visits Alabama this season on Sept. 22, also signed a two-game deal with the Tide and will return for a visit on Sept. 6, 2014. This game was already publicly known, although the exact date wasn’t confirmed until now.
Alabama will open the 2014 season against West Virginia in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game on Aug. 30 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. It will be Bama’s second straight and fourth overall appearance in the game, as they are also scheduled to meet Virginia Tech in 2013.
In their two previous Chick-fil-A games, the Crimson Tide beat Clemson 34-10 in 2008 and Virginia Tech 34-24 in 2009.
Alabama needs one more game to complete their 2014 non-conference football schedule. The Tide also need two games in 2013, but are currently waiting on the SEC to finalize the future schedule format.
As an Alabama fan, I would rather Alabama play in state programs such as Troy or UAB.
I’ve always heard/read that Troy does not want to play Alabama and Auburn due to so many Troy fans being fans of the Tigers or Tide. However UAB would crawl to Tuscaloosa for a game with Alabama, so would South Alabama.
If Alabama is going to play 1AA programs(sorry FCS) do like South Carolina (Wofford, The Citadel) or Auburn (Alabama A&M, Jacksonville State) and give that money to another school from your state.
I made the same suggestion a couple of years ago on Bleacher Report. Would make more sense for the Tide to play an in state rival like UAB or Troy which by the way are both Div 1. What does Alabama have in common with W Carolina anyyway? I don’t think losing to UAB or Troy would be an issue for Tide. I am sure that eventually they will play each other. It just seems logical.
I would rather see Alabama play a real schedule for once. The SEC needs to remove Kentucky and Tennessee and have them play the likes of Georgia and South Carolina. Alabama has minimum of 5 crips on their schedule this year. Wow, they will add Western Kentucky, that will make Nick Saban sweat. Did that game take the place of Tennessee to make it even easier to get to the SEC Championship.
C’mon, Saban, earn your money. Play some real teams rather than saying how great you are at coaching against mediocre teams.
Hopefully WCU’s program is improving, or this could be a 77-0 type beat down.
Ducks have many more surprises in store for all of you non-believers. Look at how the NFL is changing due to the Chip Kelly factor. No huddle spread offense is the biggest change in football since the forward pass. All teams will change or die a slow death. Unless the sissy Nick Saban gets his way . Is this what we want football to be? LOL
Alabama will get there ass kicked!
Western Carolina? Florida Atlantic? Please. That’s pathetic. And there are more openings for 2013 and 2014. Hey, Coastal Carolina might be able to work it in. Providing they get some of the gate receipts.
Meanwhile you have the Gamecocks playing Georgia, LSU and Florida in sucession, while Bama’s beating up on Mizzou and other clodhoppers. The whole situation reminds me of Penn State opening up with Temple, Rutgers, and Cincinnati every year when none of the programs were any good. Pathetic. Pathetic.
I sick of these powder puff football games w/ FL Atlantic, N Texas, Bama A&M & West Carolina. I know you need one a year just to keep your team from getting so beat up throught out the year & so you can play all your players for an easy win but both Bama & Auburn need to step it up & play another nonconference team that’s worth going to. I’m tire of hearing tv people talking about how bama hasn’t played anyone. If you look back to bama’s 1986 schedule it by far was & has been bama’s toughest schedule in the history of the school. Opened up w/ Ohio St, Penn St, Notre Dame & then the tough conference schedule. Oh by the way bama won all three of those nonconference games.
I stand corrected….if you look at the 1978 schedule bama had on its way to a national championship it was as follows: Nebraska (won), Southern Cal (lost), Missouri (won), Washington (won), Va Tech (won) & Penn St (won sugar bowl). Hasn’t been a schedule like that since by anyone in the country. Then nonconference schedule was simply awsome. Way to go Bear!