Those waiting for the Michigan football team to schedule a premier college football program to open non-conference play got their wish on Thursday.

The Wolverines will play Alabama at Cowboys Stadium on Sept. 1, 2012, in the “Cowboys Stadium Classic,” according to an Athletic Department press release distributed yesterday. The game will be televised nationally in primetime.

“Going out and doing some of these innovative things that really drive attention to our program, one that we’re really proud of and give our players a chance to display who they are, show that we’ll go anywhere and play anybody," Michigan Athletic Director David Brandon told The Michigan Daily on Sept. 25 when asked about the possibility of the matchup after rumors surfaced.

"That’s the kind of program we have," Brandon said. "I believe in that. I think it’s what our fans want. It’s something we’re going to try to make happen.”

This is the third attention-grabbing matchup to be announced within a year. In January, the Athletic Department finalized plans to host “The Big Chill at the Big House,” an outdoor hockey game against Michigan State to be played at Michigan Stadium. In addition, Brandon announced in March that the Wolverines will face Notre Dame under the lights in 2011 for Michigan Football's first-ever night game in Michigan Stadium.

The game against Alabama will mark the fourth meeting between two of college football’s winningest programs. The previous three meetings were in bowl games.

“We are excited about playing a regular-season game in the state of Texas, a region of the country where we have traditionally recruited,” Brandon said in the statement. “Our goal is to get as many Michigan fans to the game as possible to witness this matchup of traditional powers.”

Athletic Department spokesman David Ablauf said the Alumni Association is already planning on having alumni tours and plans are in the works to make sure Michigan fans who live in Texas will be at the game. On his weekly radio show, Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez said that tickets for the game would be split 50-50 between the schools.

According to an Alabama press release, “The game will mark the fourth year of a five-year agreement between Cowboys Stadium and ESPN to bring a top college football game to North Texas during the Labor Day weekend to start the college football season.”

Past games featured Brigham Young University against Oklahoma in 2009 and Texas Christian University and Oregon State earlier this season. Louisiana State and Oregon will play at Cowboys Stadium in 2011.

“It will have been the fourth time that (Cowboy Stadium is) hosting an early-season game,” Ablauf said. “They had approached Michigan and it’s a great place for us to play.”

Alabama is the defending BCS national champion and spent most of the season so far ranked at No. 1, before the team was defeated by South Carolina last week.

As of now, Ablauf said officials haven’t discussed whether Michigan and Alabama would meet beyond this game. The Wolverines lead the all-time series, 2-1. Michigan was victorious in the last meeting, which was a 35-34 win in the 2000 Orange Bowl.

“We have such tremendous respect for Michigan: their school, their outstanding tradition, and their following,” Alabama Athletic Director Mal Moore wrote in a statement. “It's a terrific opportunity for our student-athletes and our entire program, in addition to being a great benefit in recruiting. It's yet another chance for our university to be showcased on a national stage early in the season at a terrific stadium.”

— Daily sports writer Nicole Auerbach contributed to this report.