Once again, Atlanta will host the premier season-opening game of the college footballseason when preseason top-10 teams Alabama and Virginia Tech meet in the Georgia Dome on the first Saturday of the season September 5.
Dubbed the “Daytona 500 of college football”, the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game is already recognized as having one of the best non-conference match-ups of the entire 2009 season. It will include a day-long festival of fan activities that will help deliver the BCS-style atmosphere that sets the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game apart.
Last year’s game between then No. 9 Clemson and No. 24 Alabama drew the attention of the national media, earned an appearance by ESPN’s College GameDay, delivered a sold-out Georgia Dome and a prime time broadcast on ABC and helped springboard Alabama to an eventual No. 1 ranking and a BCS bowl berth.
The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game is managed by the Chick-fil-A Bowl - in partnership with ESPN and the Atlanta Sports Council - and has reinvented the model for the “Kickoff Classic” - taking it to the next level.