The UAB Blazers will open the 2018 season against the Savannah State Tigers, FBSchedules.com has confirmed.

UAB will host Savannah State at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama on Sept. 1, 2018. The Blazers will pay the Tigers a $275,000 guarantee for the game, according to a copy of the contract obtained from both the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Savannah State University.

The contract also stipulates that UAB will pay Savannah State “an amount equal to forty percent (40%) of the proceeds from ticket sales for the Game sold by the VISITING TEAM’S athletics ticket office.”

Savannah State is currently a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). However, SSU announced last year that they are dropping their athletics programs down to Division II, likely beginning with the 2019 season.

The UAB-Savannah State contract also includes a second game scheduled for Sept. 4, 2021 in Birmingham. That game will not be played since Savannah State will no longer be in the FCS.

The addition of Savannah State tentatively completes UAB’s non-conference schedule in 2018. The Blazers are also slated to travel to Coastal Carolina (Sept. 8), host Tulane (Sept. 15), and play at Texas A&M (Nov. 17).

In Conference USA play in 2018, UAB is scheduled to host Charlotte, North Texas, Southern Miss, and UTSA and travel to Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, Rice, and UTEP.

2018 UAB Football Schedule