PSU-Alabama series rescheduled

Fans of Penn State and Alabama will have to wait another decade before the two schools square off in a regular-season football game.

At Alabama's request, the two-game series that had been set for 2004 and '05 has been postponed. The Nittany Lions now will play host to the Crimson Tide on Sept. 14, 2013 at Beaver Stadium and will travel to Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Sept. 13, 2014.

The re-scheduled games occur in seasons when NCAA rules permit teams to play 12 regular-season games.

Central Florida will replace Alabama on Penn State's schedule on Sept. 18, 2004. Cincinnati will play at Beaver Stadium on Sept. 10, 2005.

"Alabama officials approached us with a request to postpone the dates due to the issues there were facing with NCAA sanctions," Penn State athletic director Tim Curley said in a prepared statement. "Because we have had an excellent relationship with them in the past and we are interested in playing them in the future, we honored their request to move the series to the later dates."

As a penalty for NCAA rules infractions, Alabama is facing two more years of reduced scholarships. Also, the school will not receive a share of the Southeastern Conference's bowl money.

Coach Mike Shula was hired only weeks ago, replacing Mike Price, who was fired amid controversy before he ever coached a game for the Crimson Tide.

Alabama officials might be seeking to soften their non-conference schedule until the program can recover from the sanctions. In addition to its Southeastern Conference slate in '04, the Tide will play Western Carolina and Southern Mississippi.

Because it is losing out on SEC cash, Alabama wanted to add a revenue-generating home game next season instead of traveling to State College.

The Tribune-Review reported last Friday that Alabama was negotiating with Penn State to reschedule the series.

Alabama and Penn State last met in 1990 in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The Crimson Tide lead the series, 8-5, including a 17-16 victory in 1989 at Beaver Stadium.