University of California, Berkeley has cancelled its Sept. 3, 2016 season-opening game with University of South Dakota.

The Golden Bears received a waiver from the NCAA allowing them to start next season one week early to accommodate an international game in Sydney, Australia, against Hawai’i.

 

“Cal has a unique opportunity to play a football game in Australia and we understand their desire to terminate our contract for 2016,” said USD Athletic Director David Herbster. “Since we knew this was a possibility, we have been exploring possible opponents for the first weekend of the 2016 season. We hope to have a replacement game soon.”

 

The Cal-South Dakota matchup was originally announced in October of 2014. It would have been the first meeting between the two programs. The Coyotes are scheduled to host Weber State on Sept. 10 and take on North Dakota in Grand Forks on Sept. 17 before beginning MVFC play in 2016.