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USC To Face Alabama In 2016 Cowboy Classic

Cardinal and Gold fanatics, pack your bags for Jerry's World.

By Evan Budrovich
Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

The long-awaited collision of national powerhouses will finally take place, as the University of Southern California and the University of Alabama will face off in one of the most promising meetings in college football history.

Where to begin. The battle between Lane Kiffin and USC, the recruiting implications between Steve Sarkisian and Nick Saban, the looming quarterback match up of five-star California native quarterbacks Ricky Town and Blake Barnett or even the claim for most passionate fan bases in the nation. Either way, this game will certainly be one for the ages.

The 2016 Cowboy Classic, which coincides with meetings between Texas-Notre Dame and UCLA-Texas A&M (9/3), might make the viewing landscape stand still for one fantastic day of rivalries, epic football and nation-wide bragging rights.

USC's most recent game against an SEC opponent came back in 2006 when the Trojans went into Arkansas and dismantled the Razorbacks, 50-14. The Trojans are 21-11-1 all-time against current SEC foes, including wins in each of the last four meetings. But the dream match up in 2016 pits two programs not afraid to back down from the challenge.

"We are excited to participate in a game that is such an attractive matchup for the nation's fans," said head coach Steve Sarkisian. "The 2016 Cowboys Classic not only brings together two of college football's most tradition-laden and successful programs, but teams that in 1970 played a significant role in shaping the history of the game."

Alabama and USC have met seven times (Alabama 5-2), and Bama won the last meeting 24-3 in the 1985 Aloha Bowl. The Trojans did win two monumental games against the Crimson Tide however, first in the racially integrating 1970 Sam Bam Cunningham game and then a monumental victory in 1978, when the school's split the national championship.

If that doesn't fuel the fire enough, the Trojans could get the opportunity to face former head coach Lane Kiffin, who now serves as the Alabama offensive coordinator under head coach Nick Saban. We know USC's on high alert for "bubble screens and large play sheets" but all jokes aside, the reunion could sure be something special to watch.

Don't sleep on the growing feud that will grow between these schools over the next two years either, because every recruiting move from here forward could be pushing towards the luminous September 3rd, 2016 meeting in Cowboys Stadium. #BeatTheTide

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