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Georgia, Oregon Agree to Contract to Play in 2022 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game
August 21, 2018
The Georgia Bulldogs and Oregon Ducks will meet in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Sept. 3, 2022, according to Tim Tucker of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
"Both coaches wanted to do it, and we got with the athletic directors and were able to put a deal together," Peach Bowl, Inc. president and CEO Gary Stokan said, via Tucker. "We are ecstatic about having Georgia and Oregon."
It will be Georgia's fourth appearance in the showcase game. The Bulldogs are currently 1-1 in the event, losing to Boise State in 2011 and defeating North Carolina in 2016. They are set to square off with Virginia in 2020.
According to Stokan, Georgia and head coach Kirby Smart want to play in this event as frequently as possible.
"After we got the 2020 game scheduled, Kirby said: 'Let's look forward. We'd like to come back as early and as often as we can,'" Stokan said.
This will mark Oregon's first appearance in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game. The Ducks did, however, take on the LSU Tigers at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, in their 2011 season opener, a 40-27 loss.
Georgia and Oregon were supposed to play a home-and-home series in 2015 and 2016, but those showdowns were canceled in 2010. The two schools have met just once before, per Tucker, a 27-16 Bulldogs victory at Georgia in 1977.
The Bulldogs have taken on ranked opponents such as Clemson, North Carolina and Notre Dame early in their schedule in recent years. The Ducks have faced the likes of LSU, Michigan State and Tennessee; they also have showdowns against Auburn (2019), Ohio State (2020 and 2021) and Michigan State (2029 and 2030) on the schedule down the road.
Georgia is coming off an appearance in the College Football Playoff National Championship a season ago, while Oregon is ranked No. 24 in the 2018 AP preseason poll under first-year coach Mario Cristobal.