The 2012 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game doubleheader dates have been set, the Chick-fil-A Bowl announced today. It will mark the first time that two BCS games have been played back-to-back in the same venue.

The NC State Wolfpack will meet the Tennessee Volunteers on Friday, August 31 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. The game will be televised by ESPNU.

On Saturday, September 1, the Auburn Tigers will square off against the Clemson Tigers. That game will be televised by either ABC or ESPN. Times for both games will be announced at a later date.

NC State and Tennessee have met twice in their history and both games were played in Raleigh, NC. NC State won 16-0 in 1911 and Tennessee won 13-0 in 1939.

Auburn and Clemson have met 48 times. Auburn leads the overall series 34-12-2, but Clemson won the last meeting 38-24 in 2011.

The Chick-fil-A College Kickoff is an annual college football game played the first week of the season. It usually pits the ACC versus the SEC, but in 2014 Boise State will play in the game.

Listed below is the Chick-fil-A College Kickoff schedule through 2014:

• 2012 – NC State vs. Tennessee (Fri., Aug. 31)
• 2012 – Auburn vs. Clemson (Sat., Sept. 1)
• 2013 – Alabama vs. Virginia Tech
• 2014 – Boise State vs. Ole Miss

Chick-fil-A release

Between the two games, more than 145,000 fans are expected to be in Atlanta to celebrate the opening of the 2012 season and be a part of history. All four teams and their fans will be in Atlanta at the same time, creating a college football celebration of epic proportions. The pair of Chick-fil-A Kickoff Games is expected to generate more than $60 million in economic impact.

“When we created the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game with ESPN, our goal was to kick off the season in a special and memorable way,” said Gary Stokan, Chick-fil-A Bowl president and CEO. “With these two games, and these four teams and their fan bases, this is going to be a colossal weekend of football in Atlanta – like nothing you have ever seen before.”

“NC State fans love Atlanta and participating in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game is a particularly exciting way to kick off our 2012 season,” said Debbie Yow, NC State director of athletics. “We think there will be a lot of State red there to cheer on our team.”

“We look forward to being a part of the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game weekend in Atlanta,” said Dave Hart, Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics of the University of Tennessee. “The exposure afforded our university and football program through our participation in this season-opening event is very significant.”

“We could not be more excited to open our season against Clemson in the Georgia Dome. This will be a great opportunity for our student-athletes and our fans to enjoy a highly competitive game in a great venue close to home,” said Jay Jacobs, Auburn athletics director. “The Chick-fil-A Kickoff game has come to signify the start of the college football season, and this year will be even more exciting with a double-header in Atlanta.”

“The Clemson vs. Auburn game at the Georgia Dome will be one of the national highlights of the opening weekend of college football,” said Terry Don Phillips, Clemson athletics director. “We have had two great games with Auburn the last two years and we are sure this third game also will be played at a high level.”