Despite rumors to the contrary, the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta is still on schedule to open before the college football season begins. In fact, the new facility is set to host two preseason NFL games before the Alabama-FSU Sept. 2 showdown. Until those games are rescheduled or relocated, there’s no real reason for concern.

The Falcons are set to host the Cardinals between Aug. 24-28 and the Jaguars Aug. 31. Of course, Alabama isn’t the only SEC team opening the season inside the new stadium, as Tennessee will face Georgia Tech Monday night Sept. 4 in Atlanta.

The CEO of the Peach Bowl, Gary Stokan, recently spoke with Michael Casagrande of AL.com and expressed no concern regarding the upcoming games. Judging by Stokan’s comments, there’s little doubt both Alabama and Tennessee will be opening the season in Atlanta.

“Yeah, there’s no reason for a backup plan because everything is going to be ready. The roof is going to be fine and really that’s the only thing … construction-wise everything else is ahead of schedule or on schedule.”

As noted by Stokan, the only hiccups in construction thus far have to do with the intricate collapsable roof being installed for the stadium.

While an official kickoff time for the Sept. 2 Alabama-FSU game has yet to be released, it’s a lock to be the primetime Saturday night game, likely on ABC over ESPN.

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