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Cal, Hawaii to open 2016 season in Australia

Sam Cooper
College football writer

It’s official: California and Hawaii will open the 2016 season in Australia.

Cal announced Saturday that the two teams will square off on Aug 27, 2016 at ANZ Stadium (capacity: 83,500) in Sydney. It will be the first college football game played in Australia since games were played in Melbourne in 1985 and 1987 and the first-ever college football game held in Sydney.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime type of experience for our student-athletes and an excellent opportunity to see and learn about another culture,” Cal head coach Sonny Dykes said in a release. “We are proud to represent the University of California at this historic event. A great deal of hard work by many people has gone into making this a reality, and everyone associated with Cal Athletics is excited to take part in it.

“It is a great day for college football and all the fans of our sport. It shows the popularity college football is gaining, and we’re ready to help further introduce the sport to many more fans.”

Added Cal athletic director Mike Williams: “We are thrilled to open our 2016 football season in Sydney. This will be a tremendous cultural and educational experience for our student-athletes, our football program, our university, and our fan base around the world. We are a global university with global alumni and fans, and we are excited to be bringing college football to the great country of Australia.”

Cal and Hawaii have previously played four times with each side winning twice. The most recent matchup was a 21-7 Hawaii win in Berkeley in 1994. Hawaii won the first game between the two schools in 1934 while Cal was victorious in 1968 and 1993.

Cal previously had a home game against FCS South Dakota scheduled for Sept. 3, but this game will now take its place. After the Australia trip, the Bears won’t resume play until a road game against San Diego State on Sept. 10.

The game against Cal will be the first in the tenure of Nick Rolovich, who was announced as Hawaii’s new head coach on Friday. Rolovich, a former Hawaii quarterback, spent the past four seasons as the offensive coordinator at Nevada.

For more Cal news, visit GoldenBearReport.com.

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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!