The Boston College Eagles and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets were selected to open the 2016 college football season in Dublin, Ireland.
Citing unnamed sources, ESPN learned it will televise the game live at 7:30 a.m. ET, which is 12:30 p.m. in Dublin. The matchup is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 3 at Aviva Stadium.
The game is being called the Aer Lingus College Football Classic and it is just the third time the ACC is playing a league game internationally. Both of the last two such games involved Clemson, a team that played Duke in 1991 and Wake Forest in 1982, both times in Tokyo, Japan.
"I know the young men on our team will remember this experience for a lifetime, and I'm so excited for them. They will get to explore a new country, be immersed in a new culture, and then play the first game on the opening Saturday of the college football season," Boston College head football coach Steve Addazio said in a statement. "It's great that we will get to share this experience with our conference friends from Georgia Tech. In BC and Georgia Tech, you have two outstanding academic institutions with great football traditions, and we are grateful for the opportunity to showcase our programs in Ireland."
The game will be the seventh within the Football Bowl Subdivision to be played in Ireland since 1988. However, it is the first inter-conference game outside the U.S. since Michigan State played Wisconsin in Tokyo in 1993.
Georgia Tech, who will be the away team, holds a 6-2 advantage in their series against Boston College, including two straight wins.
"It's great to open the 2016 season in Ireland. This is a historic day for Georgia Tech Football as we will play our first-ever international football game," Georgia Tech Athletic Director Mike Bobinski said in a statement. "This is an amazing opportunity to bring college football back to Ireland and to give our student-athletes, coaches, staff, and fans a truly global experience."
