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Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game between Alabama and FSU to Host ESPN’s College GameDay

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ATLANTA, Ga. – Alabama’s opening game against what is rumored to be one of the nation’s best teams heading into the 2017 season, Florida State, just got a little more exciting.

ESPN announced today that ‘College GameDay Built by The Home Depot‘ – college football’s longest-running and most-celebrated pregame show – is set to open the 2017 season at this year’s Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game between Florida State and Alabama in what what could be the Greatest Opener of All Time.

The weekly show airs from 8 a.m.-noon CDT on ESPN and will be broadcasted live from International Plaza, outside of the new, state-of-the-art Mercedes-Benz Stadium, ahead of what will be the first college football game ever played in the venue. This will mark the fourth time College GameDay has opened the season from Atlanta for the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, with previous appearances in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

“College GameDay is synonymous with the biggest games of the year,” said Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl CEO & President Gary Stokan. “With this game shaping up to be the Greatest Opener of All Time, we welcome GameDay back to Atlanta. It’s going to be an epic celebration of college football!”

“College GameDay has become a Saturday morning tradition for college football fans around the country,” said Percy Vaughn, Peach Bowl, Inc. chairman. “It’s only fitting that College GameDay be here for the first-ever college football game in the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium to showcase an incredible weekend of two great Chick-fil-A Kickoff Games.”

The Florida State-Alabama Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game ia one of the most anticipated opening match-ups ever with early projections indicating that this game may be a match-up of the two highest-ranked teams to ever play on opening weekend in 149 years of college football. This year’s game between Florida State and Alabama will also represent five of college football’s last eight national champions, and the two most dominant programs since 2010.

The Florida State-Alabama Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game will kick off at 7 p.m.  CDT, Saturday, Sept. 2, and be nationally telecast by ABC. The teams have met four times dating back to 1965, with the most recent meeting in 2007 resulting in a 21-14 Seminole win. The Crimson Tide holds a 2-1-1 series advantage over the Seminoles.

This will be Alabama’s fifth appearance in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, where the Crimson Tide currently hold a 4-0 record. It will be the first time Florida State has opened the season in Atlanta. Both teams currently have an impressive streak of consecutive season opening wins with Alabama having won its past 15 season openers, while Florida State has won its past six.

The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game will close out the weekend with another great match-up in prime time on Monday night when Tennessee and Georgia Tech renew an old rivalry for the first time since 1987.

The nation’s longest-running kickoff game, the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game has now sold out nine of its 12 matchups. The game averages 67,645 – higher than the attendance of 35 bowl games last year – and has an average payout of $4.7 million which is higher than 27 bowl games last year. Television viewership is also traditionally strong with more than 47.4 million viewers tuning in to the series since its inaugural game in 2008.

The teams will battle for The Old Leather Helmet Trophy, one of college football’s newest rivalry-style icons. Traditionally, winners of The Old Leather Helmet don the helmet on the field after the game, starting with the head coach and then rotating from player to player as the team celebrates its victory.

Jeremy Law for SylacaugaNews.com | © 2017, SylacaugaNews.com/Marble City Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.


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