The Alabama Crimson Tide will face the West Virginia Mountaineers in the second game of the 2014 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, Chick-fil-A officials announced this afternoon.
Alabama and West Virginia will meet at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on Saturday, Aug. 28, 2014. The game will be the first ever meeting between the two schools.
The match-up will be the second game of the 2014 Chick-fil-A Kickoff. Boise State and Ole Miss are set to meet in the first game on Thursday, Aug. 28.
“Alabama and West Virginia are consistently among the premier teams in the country and we’re thrilled to be able to host such a high profile game with representatives from the SEC and the Big 12,” said Gary Stokan, Chick-fil-A Bowl president and CEO. “This will be an epic blockbuster-type game the nation will anticipate for a long, long time and will continue our tradition of showcasing two top-ranked teams to open the season on Saturday night.”
“The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game is an outstanding event and we look forward to opening the 2014 season in Atlanta,” said Nick Saban, Alabama head coach. “Gary Stokan and his staff do a great job in hosting this game and the atmosphere in the Georgia Dome has been like a BCS bowl game in our previous experiences there. The exposure for our football players and our program is tremendous and it is a great experience for our fans. This will be the sixth time we have played a non-conference game at a neutral site, and the fourth time at Atlanta.”
The 2014 contest will mark the fourth appearance for the Crimson Tide in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game. Alabama defeated Clemson 34-10 in 2008 and Virginia Tech 34-24 in 2009. The Tide are set to face Virginia Tech again in Atlanta on Aug. 31, 2013.
“Playing in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game is a great opportunity for our football program and will be an exciting event for our fans,” said Dana Holgorsen, West Virginia head coach. “Alabama is one of the top teams in college football history, and it will be a tough challenge for us.”
West Virginia will be playing in its first Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, but they have played in the Georgia Dome once before. The Mountaineers defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 38-35 in the 2006 Sugar Bowl in a game that was relocated to Atlanta due to Hurricane Katrina.
Listed below is the complete schedule of Chick-fil-A Kickoff Games scheduled through 2014:
- 2012 – NC State vs. Tennessee (Friday, Aug. 31, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU)
- 2012 – Auburn vs. Clemson (Saturday, Sept. 1, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
- 2013 – Alabama vs. Virginia Tech (Saturday, Aug. 31)
- 2014 – Boise State vs. Ole Miss (Thursday, Aug. 28)
- 2014 – Alabama vs. West Virginia (Saturday, Aug. 30)
Football Schedules