The Auburn Tigers and the Washington Huskies will meet in the 2018 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, both schools announced on Thursday.
The game will mark the first meeting between Auburn and Washington and it will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday, Sept. 1, 2018.
“We’re looking forward to the opportunity to play in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game for a third time,” Auburn Head Coach Gus Malzahn said. “Auburn has a great fan base in Atlanta and we’ve always had a big number of Georgia kids in our program. We appreciate the partnership we’ve had over the years with the great people at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.”
Auburn’s previous appearances in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game came back in 2012 (lost to Clemson 26-19) and in 2015 (beat Louisville 31-24). Washington will be the first Pac-12 team to make an appearance in the game.
“We are excited to compete in the 2018 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta,” UW head coach Chris Petersen said. “I know our team will look forward to competing against a great program in what will surely be a thrilling atmosphere inside the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium.”
In order to play in the 2018 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, the Washington Huskies had to adjust their non-conference schedule. Their season-opener, previously a home game vs. North Dakota, was pushed back one week to Sept. 8.
A home game vs. Nevada, previously scheduled for Sept. 8, has been postponed to a future season. Washington’s third and final non-conference game, which was unchanged, is a trip to face BYU on Sept. 29.
Auburn now has three non-conference games announced for the 2018 season. The Tigers are also slated to host Southern Miss on Sept. 29 and Alabama State on Nov. 17.
Future Chick-fil-A Kickoff Games
- 2017 – Alabama vs. Florida State (Sat., Sept. 2)
- 2017 – Tennessee vs. Georgia Tech (Mon., Sept. 4)
- 2018 – Auburn vs. Washington (Sat., Sept. 1)
- 2020 – Florida State vs. West Virginia (Sat., Sept. 5)*
- 2020 – Georgia vs. Virginia (Mon., Sept. 7)*
* Tentative until officially announced.
Football Schedules