The Blue Devils are set to open the 2019 season on one of college football's biggest stages.
Duke will face Alabama in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game August 31, 2019, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, the program announced in a press release Monday morning. The event, which started in 2008, typically brings two high-profile programs together on the first weekend of the season.
"This presents Duke football with a tremendous opportunity to play in a world-class venue against Alabama, which is clearly a gold standard program in college football,” said Kevin White, vice president and director of athletics, in the release. "We look forward to showcasing Duke University on such a national platform, and under the brightest lights of the 2019 college football season.”
The Blue Devils last played the Crimson Tide in 2010 at Wallace Wade Stadium and lost in a 62-13 rout. Duke last beat Alabama in the 1945 Sugar Bowl. The Crimson Tide have been the most dominant program in the nation for the last decade with four national championships in the last seven years, and it is the title favorite again this season.
"This is a tremendous opportunity for our program, and obviously an incredible challenge facing the University of Alabama," Blue Devil head coach David Cutcliffe said in the release. "The proud history between the two schools is well documented, as Duke and Alabama have an unparalleled common connection with Coach [Wallace] Wade."
Duke was originally scheduled to play FCS opponent North Carolina A&T August 31, 2019. The Durham Herald-Sun's Steve Wiseman reported that game will be moved to later in the season, and a scheduled game against Tulane will be pushed back to 2025 to make room for the Alabama. The Blue Devils' other two 2019 nonconference opponents will be Notre Dame and Middle Tennessee.
Correction: An earlier version of this article stated that Alabama would replace North Carolina A&T on Duke's 2019 schedule. The Crimson Tide are replacing Tulane. The Chronicle regrets the error.
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