After months of rumors, the Alabama-Michigan football game at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington has been officially announced by both schools. The game will be played on September 1, 2012.
The game will be televised in prime time by either ESPN or CBS, and the officials for the game will come from the Big 12 Conference. Alabama will be designated as the home team.
Rumors of the game first surfaced on MGoBlog.com in early August. Then in late September, Alabama head coach Nick Saban stated on his weekly radio show that the two teams would meet in Arlington “probably for sure.”
Alabama’s first two games on their 2012 football schedule are now set. The Crimson Tide will open against Michigan on September 1 and will host Western Kentucky on September 8. The game against WKU was previously scheduled for September 1, but was pushed back one week for the Michigan game.
The Tide need two more non-conference opponents to fill out their 2012 slate.
Michigan’s 2012 football schedule is shaping up to be a tough one. After opening against Alabama, they have two open dates to fill and will then travel to face Notre Dame on September 22. They have another open date on September 29 before the Big Ten schedule begins, which includes games at Nebraska and at Ohio State.
The Alabama Crimson Tide and the Michigan Wolverines have met three times in postseason bowl games, but never during the regular season. Michigan leads the overall series 2-1. Listed below is the series history:
- 1988 – Michigan 28, Alabama 24 (Hall of Fame Bowl)
- 1997 – Alabama 17, Michigan 14 (Outback Bowl)
- 2000 – Michigan 35, Alabama 34 (Orange Bowl)