STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford and Kansas State have been chosen to kick off the 2021 season on September 4 in the 2021 Allstate Kickoff Classic at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, which annually hosts the premier season-opening contest in college football.
Kick off time, broadcast network and ticket information will be released at a later date.
The game was originally scheduled to be played at Kansas State's Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium on the same day. The Cardinal is 1-0 all-time against the Wildcats, defeating K-State 26-13 to open the 2016 season on Sept. 2 at Stanford Stadium.
Next season's non-conference slate will now feature the Allstate Kickoff Classic vs. Kansas State (Sept. 4), a Sept. 18 game at Vanderbilt and a home game against Notre Dame on Nov. 27.
The 2021 edition will be the 12th version of the season opening game hosted by AT&T Stadium. Past kickoff games in AT&T Stadium have included programs such as Alabama, Auburn, Florida, LSU, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oregon and Wisconsin, among others.
Stanford last began a season at a neutral site in 2017, when the Cardinal defeated Rice, 62-7, in the Sydney (Australia) Cup on Aug. 26. Stanford's last game in the state of Texas was the 2018 Sun Bowl, a 14-13 win over Pitt.
The Cardinal had six Texas natives on its 2020 roster – Ethan Bonner (The Woodlands), Branson Bragg (Combine), Elijah Higgins (Kyle), Jacob Mangum-Farrar (Sugar Land), Jonathan McGill (Coppell) and E.J. Smith (Dallas) – and added four more on National Signing Day – Caleb Ellis (McKinney), David Kasemervisz (Sugar Land), Jack Leyrer (Dallas) and Jimmy Wyrick (Dallas).