The Clemson Tigers and the Georgia Bulldogs will open the 2021 football season in Charlotte, both schools announced on Tuesday.
The game will be played on Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., as part of a 2021 rivalry series hosted by the Charlotte Sports Foundation. Appalachian State and East Carolina will also square off two days before Clemson-Georgia on Thursday, Sept 2.
“Thank you to Georgia and the Charlotte Sports Foundation for helping make this game a reality,” Clemson Director of Athletics Dan Radakovich said. “Kicking off the 2021 season with this match-up will be a tremendous showcase for both universities and our fans. UGA is a great football program and we know that Charlotte will provide a first-class experience for everyone involved.”
In order to schedule the matchup, Georgia has canceled their Sept. 4, 2021 home game against San Jose State. The Clemson Tigers didn’t have a game scheduled for that date, but did have four non-conference games so they have canceled their home game against Wyoming that was slated for Sept. 25.
Other non-conference opponents for Georgia in 2021 include UAB (Sept. 11) and Charleston Southern (Nov. 20) at home and a road game at in-state rival Georgia Tech on Nov. 27.
“This is another great opportunity to schedule a national non-conference game with a top level opponent,” said UGA head coach Kirby Smart. “Playing a regular season game in Charlotte will give our fans the opportunity for a completely new experience in a great city and top level stadium. I know our coaches and players will be excited for the challenge to kick off the season in this kind of environment.”
Clemson is also scheduled to host South Carolina State (Sept. 11) and UConn (Nov. 13) and travel to South Carolina (Nov. 27).
Georgia and Clemson are also scheduled to meet at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga., to open the 2024 season. The two schools will then play a pair of home-and-home series beginning five season later — 2029 at Clemson, 2030 at Georgia, 2032 at Georgia, and 2033 at Clemson.
In 64 previous meetings on the gridiron, Georgia leads the series against Clemson 42-18-4. In their most recent matchups, the two schools split a home-and-home series with Clemson winning 38-35 at home in 2013 and Georgia winning 45-21 at home in 2014.
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