GREEN BAY — College football is indeed coming to Lambeau Field.
The oft-discussed game between LSU and the University of Wisconsin at the Green Bay Packers' hallowed stadium is a go, as the team and the UW athletic department announced Friday that the game will be played on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016.
"We're honored to be able to host two storied college football programs at Lambeau Field," Packers president/CEO Mark Murphy said in a statement. "It will be an exciting weekend for football fans at our historic stadium. The Green Bay community will serve as an excellent host and we all look forward to seeing fans from both teams that weekend."
The game will be the fourth college football game to be played at Lambeau Field. St. Norbert College twice played host to Fordham University at Lambeau Field in a Vince Lombardi Memorial Game, winning both contests. The Green Knights defeated the Rams 14-10 on Nov. 20, 1982, and 18-9 on Nov. 19, 1983. St. Norbert also hosted Mankato State College on Oct. 29, 1960, defeating the Indians, 29-14.
The UW-LSU game will be played on the Saturday between the preseason finale and the regular-season opener. Assuming the Packers open the season on Sunday, Sept. 11 that year, the field would a full week to recover.
If the Packers happen to win Super Bowl L at the end of the 2015 season, they would traditionally host the 2016 Kickoff game at Lambeau Field, which has been played on a Thursday.
The Wisconsin State Journal reported that according to a contract reviewed Thursday by the UW Board of Regents, the Packers have agreed to pay UW $3 million as well as all costs for putting on the game. The Packers would then keep the revenue generated from the game.
According to the State Journal, UW will receive two complimentary 24-person suites and get a minimum of 40,000 tickets. Of those, 300 will be used for players' families, 475 for the UW Band and 7,500 for students at a discounted rate of at least 40 percent off the lowest priced general admission ticket. The rest of the tickets will be sold to the general public at regular prices.
Details regarding game time, tickets and other related information will be announced at a later date, the Packers said.
"I'm very excited about this game and I hope our fans are, too," UW athletic director Barry Alvarez said in the statement. "We have a great working relationship with the Packers and Mark Murphy and I want to thank them for all their help in getting this game scheduled. It is a tremendous opportunity to showcase our program, a great experience for our players to play in one of the most revered stadiums in the country and a terrific chance for our fans to see us play a quality opponent in the state of Wisconsin."
Jason Wilde wrote: