UCF and Penn State are "in talks" to play in Dublin, Ireland, to open the '14 football season, according to Paul Tenorio of the ORLANDO SENTINEL. PSU had contacted other schools about the possibility of playing overseas, but a source said that PSU football coach Bill O’Brien and UCF coach George O’Leary, who “are both of Irish heritage, would prefer to play each other.” The teams recently “agreed to a home-and-home series, with UCF traveling to Penn State this fall.” The date of PSU’s game at UCF in '14 “had not been settled, setting up an opportunity for the schools to meet overseas.” A source earlier this week said that the two schools were “still trying to resolve a variety of logistics, including the stadium in Ireland that could host the game and clearing gaps in both teams’ 2014 schedules.” The schools are “looking to play at either Aviva Stadium or Croke Park in Dublin.” Notre Dame opened the '12 season against Navy at Aviva Stadium "in front of an announced crowd of 48,820 fans.” A source said that it would “likely cost more than" $1M to play the game overseas, but UCF “giving up a home game would add to the steep cost if the Knights could not turn a profit” (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 5/3).
ON THE MOVE: In Las Vegas, Mark Anderson reports UNLV is “in discussions" the Univ. of Arizona to move its Sept. 7 football game from Sam Boyd Stadium to Univ. of Phoenix Stadium. UNLV AD Jim Livengood said that he was “optimistic a deal would get done, and an announcement probably would occur next week.” The game was “supposed to be the Rebels’ home opener, but Livengood said UNLV would receive a large guarantee by moving the game” (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 5/3).
