CHICK-FIL-A GAME HISTORY
Year; Teams; Winner
2014; No. 2 Alabama vs. West Virginia; Alabama 33-23
2014; No. 18 Ole Miss vs. Boise State; Ole Miss 35-13
2013; No. 1 Alabama vs. Virginia Tech; Alabama 35-10
2012; No. 14 Clemson vs. No. 24 Auburn; Clemson 26-19
2012; No. 25 N.C. State vs. Tennessee; Tennessee 35-21
2011; No. 5 Boise State vs. No. 19 Georgia; Boise State 35-21
2010; No. 16 LSU vs. No. 18 North Carolina; LSU 30-24
2009; No. 5 Alabama vs. No. 7 Virginia Tech; Alabama 34-24
2008; No. 9 Clemson vs. No. 24 Alabama; Alabama 34-10
The Georgia Bulldogs are going back to the Georgia Dome to renew an old rivalry.
Georgia will play North Carolina in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game in 2016, the schools announced Thursday. The game is set for Sept. 3, a Saturday, but no kickoff time or TV plans have been established.
“I know our team, coaches, and fans will be looking forward to playing a quality opponent like North Carolina in Atlanta,” coach Mark Richt said in a statement released by the school. “It will be a national stage for a season opener and generate a lot of excitement for fans not only of both schools but college football fans around the country.”
Georgia last played in Atlanta’s annual college football kickoff event in 2011, when it lost to Boise State 34-21. It will be the first time in 45 years that the Bulldogs and Tar Heels have met in football.
The Chick-fil-A Kickoff game has emerged as the pre-eminent college football season “kickoff” event since it was created by Peach Bowl, Inc., in 2008. President and CEO Gary Stokan said he and UGA Athletic Director Greg McGarity have talked for years about Georgia returning to the game.
“As I’ve talked to Greg, he has always said ‘when can we play in this game?’” Stokan said. “It seems to make sense to him and (Georgia coach) Mark Richt to play in it every four or five years. They’ve talked about it internally and decided it’s something they’d like to look into doing.”
Georgia had a vacancy at the beginning of its 2016 schedule. The Bulldogs already are to play Nicholls State (Sept. 10), Louisiana-Lafayette (Nov. 19) and Georgia Tech (Nov. 26) in non-conference play that season. Dates for the SEC schedule have yet to be finalized.
Playing the game in Atlanta will mean Georgia will have only six home games that season. However, the Bulldogs won’t lose money on the proposition. Financial terms weren’t disclosed, but Alabama and West Virginia split a $6.4 million payout last year, according to published reports.
It was reported that Stokan was trying to broker a game between the Bulldogs and Florida State for 2016. But the Seminoles agreed to play Ole Miss in the Citrus Bowl’s new kickoff game in Orlando, Fla., which will be played Sept. 5, 2016.
“We never got to the point where we considered that an option,” Stokan said. “There are so many conversations you have to have with ADs and coaches and TV to put something like this together. So you just throw it out and say you have these openings in these years and just kind of start from there.”
The matchup will rekindle what once was one of the South’s great rivalries. Georgia and North Carolina have played each other 30 times, but not since the 1971 Gator Bowl, which the Bulldogs won 7-3. UGA leads the overall series 16-12-2.
The Tar Heels are coached by Larry Fedora, who has established numerous offensive records since taking over in 2012. Fedora hired former Auburn head coach Gene Chizik as defensive coordinator earlier this year. North Carolina was 6-7 this past season and is 21-17 in three seasons under Fedora.
“With coach Fedora and Gene Chizik, we think by ’16 they’re really going to be something special,” Stokan said. “And we know Georgia’s going to always be in the hunt for a New Year’s Six game and being in the top 10 and being a leader in the East.”
Georgia is coming off a 10-3 season — its ninth season of 10 or more wins in 14 under Richt — and was ranked No. 9 in the final polls.
Not only does the matchup bring the Bulldogs back to the Dome, it allows the Chick-fil-A game to renew its ACC vs. SEC formula, which has been so successful in its postseason bowl game. Auburn and Louisville — another ACC-SEC matchup — will play in this year’s Chick-fil-A Kickoff game Sept. 5. Games for 2017 and beyond have not been set.
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