Aflac Kickoff Game
| Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game | |
|---|---|
| File:Chick-fil-a college kickoff.PNG | |
| Stadium | Mercedes-Benz Stadium |
| Location | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Previous stadiums | Georgia Dome |
| Operated | 2008–present |
| Payout | US$1,900,000 per team |
| Sponsors | |
Chick-fil-A (2008–present) | |
| 2016 matchup | |
| Georgia vs. North Carolina (33–24) | |
| 2017 matchup | |
| Alabama vs. Florida State (September 2) | |
The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game is an annual college football game played on the opening weekend (Labor Day weekend) of the college football season in Atlanta, Georgia. From its inception in 2008 until 2016, the game was held in the Georgia Dome. The Dome's replacement, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, will host the game starting in 2017.
History
Organizers intend for the game to become a national spotlight game, on par with the Kickoff Classic, held in the Meadowlands from 1983–2002, and the Disneyland Pigskin Classic in the 1990s. In 2008, ESPN's College Gameday broadcast from downtown Atlanta, while ESPN corporate sponsors and local Atlanta-based companies featured prominent displays at Fanzones in Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park.[1]
The first game, known that year as the Chick-fil-A College Kickoff, was played on August 30, 2008, the opening Saturday of the 2008 season. Alabama would defeat Clemson 34–10.
Alabama returned to the Chick-fil-A Kickoff for the 2009 game, defeating Virginia Tech to start the 2009 season which later ended with Alabama being undefeated and winning the 2009 BCS National Championship.
Auburn and UCLA were contacted about playing in the Georgia Dome in 2010, but Auburn backed out of the offer. ABC then attempted to substitute Georgia Tech for the Tigers, but UCLA opted out because the game would essentially be a home game for the Atlanta-based Yellow Jackets, with no return trip to Los Angeles.[2][3] Finally, an agreement was reached with North Carolina and LSU to face off in the 2010 game. The 2010 game also saw the introduction of a trophy awarded to the winner, the Old Leather Helmet.[4]
The 2011 edition was the first Chick-fil-A Kickoff to feature a team that was not a member of the SEC or ACC, the two conferences that provided teams to play in the Chick-fil-A Bowl at the end of each football season at the same location. Boise State, a team from the Mountain West Conference that had one of the best teams from a "non-BCS AQ" conference in recent years, defeated Georgia 35–21.
The Chick-Fil-A Kickoff consisted of two games in 2012; Tennessee defeated N.C. State 35–21 on Friday night prior to Clemson defeating Auburn 26–19 in the headliner on Saturday. The dual-game idea was first mentioned in the Miami Herald in May 2010, when Gary Stokan, president of the Chick-Fil-A Bowl, told the newspaper that there was the possibility of having the Alabama Crimson Tide face the Miami Hurricanes in a rematch of the 1993 Sugar Bowl.[5]
The 2013 game was a rematch of the 2009 game. Alabama, which had won the last two BCS National Championship games, once again defeated Virginia Tech, this time with a score of 35–10.
2014 would again feature two games. Ole Miss defeated Boise State 35–13 in a Thursday night game. Alabama would defeat West Virginia 33–23 in the headliner in a Saturday afternoon game. It marked the first ever meeting between Alabama and West Virginia in any sport.
The 2015 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, which moved to CBS that season, returned to a single game with the ACC's Louisville Cardinals taking on the SEC's Auburn Tigers. Auburn defeated Louisville, 31-24.
Payout to each team depends on the amount of revenue gained in excess of the Kickoff's $5.5 million budget. In 2008, Clemson and Alabama were both expected to receive more than $2 million.[1]
Game results
| Season | Date | Winning team | Losing team | Attendance | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | August 30, 2008 | 24 Alabama Crimson Tide | 34 | 9 Clemson Tigers | 10 | 70,097 |
| 2009 | September 5, 2009 | 5 Alabama Crimson Tide | 34 | 7 Virginia Tech Hokies | 24 | 74,954 |
| 2010 | September 4, 2010 | 21 LSU Tigers | 30 | 18 North Carolina Tar Heels | 24 | 68,919[6] |
| 2011 | September 3, 2011 | 5 Boise State Broncos | 35 | 19 Georgia Bulldogs | 21 | 73,614 |
| 2012 | August 31, 2012 | Tennessee Volunteers | 35 | NC State Wolfpack | 21 | 55,529 |
| September 1, 2012 | 14 Clemson Tigers | 26 | Auburn Tigers | 19 | 75,211 | |
| 2013 | August 31, 2013 | 1 Alabama Crimson Tide | 35 | Virginia Tech Hokies | 10 | 73,114[7] |
| 2014 | August 28, 2014 | 18 Ole Miss Rebels | 35 | Boise State Broncos | 13 | 32,823 |
| August 30, 2014 | 2 Alabama Crimson Tide | 33 | West Virginia Mountaineers | 23 | 70,502 | |
| 2015 | September 5, 2015 | 6 Auburn Tigers | 31 | Louisville Cardinals | 24 | 73,927 |
| 2016 | September 3, 2016 | 18 Georgia Bulldogs | 33 | 22 North Carolina Tar Heels | 24 | 75,405 |
Rankings are from the AP Poll.
Future games
- 2017 – Alabama vs. Florida State (Saturday Game) [8]
- 2017 – Tennessee vs. Georgia Tech (Monday Game) [9]
- 2018 – Auburn vs Washington
- 2019 – Alabama vs Duke (Saturday Game) [10]
- 2020 – Florida State vs. West Virginia (Saturday Game) [11]
- 2020 – Georgia vs. Virginia (Monday Game)[12]
Records
By team
| Rank | Team | Apps | Record | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama | 4 | 4–0 | 1.000 |
| 2 | LSU | 1 | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| Ole Miss | 1 | 1–0 | 1.000 | |
| Tennessee | 1 | 1–0 | 1.000 | |
| 5 | Auburn | 2 | 1–1 | .500 |
| Boise State | 2 | 1–1 | .500 | |
| Clemson | 2 | 1–1 | .500 | |
| Georgia | 2 | 1–1 | .500 | |
| 9 | Louisville | 1 | 0–1 | .000 |
| N.C. State | 1 | 0–1 | .000 | |
| West Virginia | 1 | 0–1 | .000 | |
| 12 | North Carolina | 2 | 0–2 | .000 |
| Virginia Tech | 2 | 0–2 | .000 |
By conference
| Rank | Conference | Apps | Record | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SEC | 11 | 9–2 | .818 |
| 2 | Mountain West | 2 | 1–1 | .500 |
| 3 | ACC | 8 | 1–7 | .125 |
| 4 | Big 12 | 1 | 0–1 | .000 |
References
- ^ a b "'Kickoff' aims for college football spotlight". sportsbusinessjournal.com.
- ^ "Auburn-UCLA game in 2010 nixed". AL.com.
- ^ Nestor. "Auburn A.D. (Jay Jacobs) Is Under Intense Criticism For Ducking UCLA". Bruins Nation.
- ^ "A College Football Celebration". Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game.
- ^ "College Gridiron 365 – Football Blog – Orlando Sentinel". orlandosentinel.com.
- ^ "LSU Tigers vs. North Carolina Tar Heels Box Score". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 5, 2010.
- ^ "Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Virginia Tech Hokies Box Score". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
- ^ "Alabama, Florida State to Open 2017 Season in Atlanta". FBSchedules.com.
- ^ "Tech-Tennessee in Chick-fil-A Kickoff nearing completion". ajc.com.
- ^ "Sources: Duke, Alabama to open 2019 college football season in Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game". Retrieved November 21, 2016.
- ^ "Sources: FSU, WVU near deal for game in 2020". Retrieved July 27, 2016.
- ^ Butt, Jason (September 19, 2016). "Georgia slated to return to Chick-Fil-A Game in 2020 to face Virginia". The Telegraph. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
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