Oklahoma Athletic Director Joe Castiglione said OU’s season-opening football game against Missouri State in Norman has moved to Aug. 29, one week earlier than originally scheduled.

The NCAA approved a waiver request from both schools to change the game date to allow them more schedule flexibility in addressing potential issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. OU’s second game of the season is Sept. 12 in Norman while its third contest is Sept. 26 at Army in West Point, N.Y.

“If the season is indeed permitted to start as scheduled, the benefit of extra time between games will help our teams manage any variety of possible circumstances that may occur,” said Castiglione.

 “Our original schedule had an open date between the second and third games, so now we will have a span of five weeks to play three games. It provides us a more gradual approach to safely manage the conditions of these unprecedented times. We’re thankful to Missouri State for their cooperation during this process and to the NCAA for allowing both teams to start the season a week earlier.”

“We really appreciate the NCAA’s waiver approval to move our game with Oklahoma up to ‘week zero,’ said Missouri State Director of Athletics Kyle Moats.  “The request was made purely for the safety and health of the student-athletes and will allow both teams two weeks to recover before their next games and adjust as necessary to the ever-changing landscape of the pandemic.”

The 2020 season opener will mark the debut for the Bears new head coach Bobby Petrino,  who inherits a program with 31 returning lettermen and 12 returning starters. Petrino is 119-56 in 14 previous seasons as a collegiate head coach.

Aug. 29 is the first day of the 2020 college football season, and only three other contests involving FBS teams were scheduled for that day: Marshall at East Carolina, Idaho State at New Mexico and UC Davis at Nevada.

OU-Missouri State broadcast information and other details such as potential stadium capacity limitations, revised game day procedures and new safety protocols will be announced in the coming weeks.