AP

BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) — East Tennessee State and Western Carolina will play a football game at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sept. 17.

The move was announced at a Thursday afternoon news conference. ETSU coach Carl Torbush said in a statement it was a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our players, coaches, staff, university and fans."

The Football Championship Subdivision programs will have their game exactly one week after Tennessee and Virginia Tech face off at the speedway on Sept. 10. Dana Landry, a spokesman for the speedway, said the infrastructure from the Tennessee-Virginia Tech will remain in place for the ETSU-Western Carolina game, though a smaller capacity is expected for the Sept. 17 matchup.

Landry said there had been ongoing discussions about this game for at least a year before Thursday's announcement.