- Chick-fil-A College Kickoff
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This article is about college football kickoff game. For college football bowl game, see Chick-fil-A Bowl.
Chick-fil-A College Kickoff 
Stadium Georgia Dome Location Atlanta, Georgia Operated 2008–present Payout US$1,900,000 per team Sponsors Chick-fil-A (2008–present) 2010 matchup LSU vs. North Carolina (30–24) 2011 matchup Georgia vs. Boise State (21–35) The Chick-fil-A College Kickoff is an annual college football game played on the opening weekend of the college football season in Atlanta, Georgia at the Georgia Dome.
Contents
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. Led by Steve Robinson, Chick-fil-A’s chief marketing officer, the Chick-fil-A Kickoff wants to become the centerpiece of ESPN's Kickoff Week; in 2008, ESPN's College Gameday broadcasted from downtown Atlanta, while ESPN corporate sponsors and local Atlanta-based companies featured prominent displays at Fanzones in Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park. [1]
Robinson intends for the game to become the headliner of a three-day football weekend in Atlanta, beginning with a college game at the Georgia Dome on the opening Thursday of the season, followed by a high-profile high school game in Atlanta on Friday night, and a concert on Saturday along with FanZone and an A-list game that night. While the first three games have been ACC-SEC contests, Robinson hopes to make the game a national affair, by offering "national brand-name" teams, such as Michigan, Ohio State, and Texas, the opportunity to participate. [2]
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.[3][4] Finally, an agreement was reached with North Carolina and LSU to face off in the 2010 game.
The Chick-Fil-A Kickoff will have two games to headline the 2012 season, following the announcement that Auburn and Clemson will join Tennessee and N.C. State to start the season in the Georgia Dome. The actual schedule is undetermined, but the likelihood is that the headliner will be played Saturday, while the other game is Thursday or Monday. The dual-game 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]
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. For both the 2008 and 2009 games, each participating school has sold out their entire allotment of 31,200 tickets, so there has never been a need for a public sale of tickets. [6]
For the 2011 matchup, Boise State was allotted 7,500 tickets, a similar amount of tickets the school sold for a game the previous year in Washington, D.C.. Georgia received the rest of the tickets available.[7]
Game results
Date Winning team Losing team Attendance Notes August 30, 2008 24 Alabama 34 9 Clemson 10 70,097 notes September 5, 2009 5 Alabama 34 7 Virginia Tech 24 74,954 notes September 4, 2010 21 LSU 30 18 North Carolina 24 68,919[8] notes September 3, 2011 5 Boise State 35 19 Georgia 21 73,614 notes Rankings are from the AP Poll.
Future games
- 2012 - Auburn vs. Clemson[9] and Tennessee vs. N.C. State[10][9]
- 2013 - Alabama vs. Virginia Tech[11][12][13]
- 2014 - Ole Miss vs. Boise State[14][12] and Alabama vs. TBD[12]
Records
By team
Rank Team Apps Record Win % 1 Alabama 2 2–0 1.000 2 LSU 1 1–0 1.000 Boise State 1 1–0 1.000 3 Clemson 1 0–1 .000 Virginia Tech 1 0–1 .000 North Carolina 1 0–1 .000 Georgia 1 0–1 .000 By conference
Rank Conference Apps Record Win % 1 Mountain West 1 1–0 1.000 2 SEC 4 3–1 .750 3 ACC 3 0–3 .000 See also
References
- ^ Street&Smith's SportsBusinessJournal: ‘Kickoff’ aims for college football spotlight
- ^ Street&Smith's SportsBusinessJournal: ‘Kickoff’ aims for college football spotlight
- ^ The Auburn Beat: Auburn-UCLA game in 2010 nixed
- ^ Bruins Nation: Auburn A.D. (Jay Jacobs) Is Under Intense Criticism For Ducking UCLA
- ^ [1]
- ^ Street&Smith's SportsBusinessJournal: ‘Kickoff’ aims for college football spotlight
- ^ http://georgia.scout.com/2/1023689.html
- ^ "LSU Tigers vs. North Carolina Tar Heels Box Score". ESPN.com. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=302470153. Retrieved 2010-09-05.
- ^ a b "Clemson-Auburn headlines 2012 Chick-fil-A Kickoff doubleheader". ESPN. 2010-09-18. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5588850. Retrieved 2010-11-21.
- ^ Associated Press: 2012 Chick-fil-A Kickoff a doubleheader
- ^ Tide in 2013 Kickoff Game
- ^ a b c Ching, David (2010-11-19). "Georgia, Boise State will open 2011 season in Atlanta". The Augusta Chronicle. http://chronicle.augusta.com/sports/college/2010-11-19/georgia-boise-state-will-open-2011-season-atlanta?v=1290214021. Retrieved 2010-11-21.
- ^ [2]
- ^ Associated Press: Mississippi-Boise State to play in '14
External links
Chick-fil-A College Kickoff Games: 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011
Categories:- Chick-fil-A College Kickoff
- Sports in Atlanta, Georgia
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