Virginia Tech has agreed to play their season opener in 2009 at the Georgia
Dome in a made-for-TV football game, likely against an SEC opponent. The matchup
is being arranged by the Atlanta Sports Council, and the game will be played on
either ESPN or ABC. To accommodate the game, the Hokies moved their September
5th, 2009 opener at Cincinnati to 2012.
Virginia
Tech announced
their participation in the game on hokiesports.com, the official web site of
VT athletics, during the day on Wednesday. At that point, multiple media sources
started reporting the story, and Alabama was given as the team most likely to
play against the Hokies, in a rematch of the 1998 Music City Bowl. Tech broke an
0-10 losing streak to the Tide with a 38-7 win in that game.
Early in the evening, however, the Birmingham News reported that it
is "unlikely" that Alabama will play the game against the Hokies.
Atlanta Sports Council President Gary Stokan has said that he is talking to
several SEC teams to go up against Tech, but that changing schedules just one
year away from the game is challenging.
The 2009 game, which the Sports Council is trying to schedule for August
29th, is the second in a series of season-opening games in Atlanta
sponsored by Chick-fil-A, a huge sponsor of both ACC and SEC sports. This year’s
matchup is Alabama vs. Clemson, to be played the night of August 30th.
TechSideline.com’s Future
Football Schedules Page has been updated with the new scheduling
information, with the game date listed as 8/29/09.
Tech Sideline is Presented By: