Baylor and Ole Miss have reached a verbal agreement to open the 2020 football season in Houston in the AdvoCare Texas Kickoff, sources told ESPN.
The game would be played Sept. 5, 2020, at Houston's NRG Stadium.
A neutral site season opener will be the third in a seven-year span for the Rebels, who beat Boise State in Atlanta in 2014 and open this season on Sept. 5 vs. Florida State in Orlando.
The addition of Ole Miss strengthens the Bears' nonconference schedule. Criticized for not playing any nonconference Power 5 schools in recent years, Baylor now has Ole Miss in 2020 plus home-and-home series with Power 5 opponents Duke in 2017-18 and Utah in 2023-24.
The Bears-Rebels contest in 2020 also will satisfy their respective conference requirements of playing at least one nonconference Power 5 opponent.
This will be only the second meeting between the schools. Baylor won the first meeting 20-10 in Waco, Texas in 1975.
In last year's AdvoCare Texas Kickoff, Texas A&M defeated Arizona State 38-17. Future games at NRG Stadium include Oklahoma vs. Houston this fall on Sept. 3 and LSU vs. BYU to open the 2017 season.