Game time for the Georgia Bulldogs’ season opener was set for 5:30 p.m.
We’ve long known the Bulldogs will face North Carolina in the Georgia Dome on Sept. 3, but the time had not been released before Tuesday.
The Bulldogs and the Tar Heels will meet in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game.
Georgia’s only other appearance in that game was against Boise State in 2011, a game the Bulldogs lost 35-21. North Carolina lost to LSU 30-24 in 2010.
Georgia and North Carolina last played in the Gator Bowl in the 1971 season. In that game, then-Georgia coach Vince Dooley face his brother, Bill, who was the Tar Heels’ coach. The Bulldogs won 7-3.
Overall, Georgia holds a 16-12-2 advantage in the series. The programs met annually from 1947-51, 1953-56 and 1963-66, but have met once in the past 50 years.
The game will mark coach Kirby Smart’s coaching debut with the Bulldogs, who are coming off a 10-3 season. Smart replaced coach Mark Richt, who was fired the day after the season finale. Georgia went on to defeat Penn State 24-17 in the TaxSlayer Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla.
North Carolina won the ACC Coastal Division last season, but lost to Clemson 45-37 in the ACC Championship game, ending an 11-game win streak. The Tar Heels then lost to Baylor 49-38 in the Russell Athletic Bowl in Orlando, Fla. That left UNC with an 11-3 record.
