ATLANTA--Trips to Alabama and West Virginia highlight the non-conference portion of Georgia State's 2013 football schedule, announced by Director of Athletics Cheryl L. Levick.

The Panthers will host non-conference games against Jacksonville State and Chattanooga at the Georgia Dome in 2013.

The 2013 season will mark Georgia State's first year in the Sun Belt Conference and the second year of GSU's FBS transition process. The Panthers will play a 12-game FBS schedule in 2013, including an eight-game Sun Belt schedule, but GSU will not be eligible for the Sun Belt title or postseason bowl games until 2014.

The complete Sun Belt schedule, including opponents and dates for GSU's conference slate, will be compiled by the league office and released early in 2013.

Georgia State will host Chattanooga on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2013, at the Georgia Dome, and then travel to West Virginia the following Saturday, Sept. 14. That will mark GSU's first game against an opponent from the Big 12 Conference.

The following week, the Panthers return home to host Jacksonville State on Sept. 21. The two teams have met twice previously, with JSU winning in 2010 and 2011.

Georgia State will make its second visit in four years to Alabama, the reigning national champion and current No. 1-ranked team in the nation, on Saturday, Oct. 5. GSU faced the Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium during the inaugural season of 2010.

Georgia State has also finalized contracts for several non-conference games in the future. The Panthers have scheduled a two-game series with Air Force, with games in Atlanta in 2014 and at Colorado Springs, Colo., in 2016. In 2015, GSU will play at Oregon.

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