The Alabama Crimson Tide and the Duke Blue Devils will meet in the 2019 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, both schools announced on Monday.
The game will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019.
“The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game is an outstanding event and we are excited to open the 2019 season in Atlanta,” said Nick Saban, Alabama head coach. “We have had the opportunity to play in this game on multiple occasions and it is like a bowl game in terms of the competitive venue that’s created. David Cutcliffe has done an excellent job at Duke, and they will be a really good challenge for our team. It’s an honor and a privilege to be a part of this first-class event hosted by the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. Playing in this game has provided great exposure for our football program and has been something our fans have enjoyed attending.”
Alabama has appeared in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game four times since its inception in 2008 and have a 4-0 record. The Crimson Tide are also slated to play Florida State in the 2017 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game.
The Duke Blue Devils will be playing in their first Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game.
“For starters, we’re both honored and thrilled to represent Duke University and the Atlantic Coast Conference in this game,” Duke head coach David Cutcliffe said. “This is a tremendous opportunity for our program, and obviously an incredible challenge facing the University of Alabama. The proud history between the two schools is well documented, as Duke and Alabama have an unparalleled common connection with Coach Wade, along with playing in the 1945 Sugar Bowl and Steve Sloan, who played quarterback under Coach Bryant and later served as the head coach here at Duke. We’re certainly appreciative of [Peach Bowl, Inc. president and CEO] Gary Stokan and his team for including us in this event as we know from experience it will be a first class occasion for our players and fans.”
In order to play in the 2019 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, the Duke Blue Devils have pushed back a home-and-home series with Tulane to the 2025 and 2026 seasons, according to Steve Wiseman of the Herald Sun. The other non-conference games in 2019 have been pushed back one week with the exception of the Notre Dame game.
Alabama and Duke have met four times on the gridiron. The Crimson Tide lead the series 2-1, but had to vacate their 2006 win over the Blue Devils due to NCAA sanctions.
Future Chick-fil-A Kickoff Games
- 2017 – Alabama vs. Florida State (Sat., Sept. 2)
- 2017 – Georgia Tech vs. Tennessee (Mon., Sept. 4)
- 2018 – Auburn vs. Washington (Sat., Sept. 1)
- 2019 – Alabama vs. Duke (Sat., Aug. 31)
- 2020 – Florida State vs. West Virginia (Sat., Sept. 5)*
- 2020 – Georgia vs. Virginia (Mon., Sept. 7)*
* Tentative until officially announced.
Football Schedules