It seems like years have passed since we saw Les Miles and the LSU Tigers hoist the BCS Championship Trophy in January, but next week college football returns (finally!). Fans of the sport have familiarized themselves with Chris Fowler, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit and most recently Desmond Howard, the witty analysts of ESPN College GameDay. And on Aug. 29, Atlantans will get an up-close-and-personal look at the gang as they host the pre-game show at Centennial Park, hours before Clemson and Alabama hit the Georgia Dome for an out-of-conference, neutral-site showdown in what is being called the Chick-fil-A College Kickoff Game.
ESPN has partnered up with the Chick-fil-A Bowl to bring fans a unique, fun weekend to kick-start the college football season. There will be plenty of food, football and partying – and perhaps best of all, the pre-game festivities are free to the public.
“This will be special for college football fans and an excellent way to start the season,” said Dave Brown, ESPN vice president of programming and acquisitions. “We have all the right elements to make this the premier season-opening event – a partner in the Chick-fil-A Bowl, a sponsor in Chick-fil-A, a city in Atlanta and two premier conferences in the ACC and SEC.”
THE FESTIVITIES
Make sure to start your weekend early, as the event actually starts on Thursday. First, ESPN will be taping live segments in Atlanta that will play on the network’s three-hour SportsCenter special starting at noon. Then, College Football Live will broadcast from Centennial Olympic Park from 3:30-4 p.m., giving fans the opportunity to attend the show in person. And if you can’t leave work or school early on Thursday, you will have another chance to watch College Football Live at 3:30 p.m. on Friday.
The fun picks up on Saturday, where the Chick-fil-A Bowl and ESPN will provide fans with a non-stop day of entertainment. It all starts at 10 a.m. when the aforementioned College GameDay crew will have its first pre-game show live from Centennial Olympic Park. Make sure to bring your signs supporting your team – viewers might just get a chance to see your handywork on TV. Additionally, local fans will enjoy watching the guys argue—especially Corso and Herbstreit—over which teams will emerge victorious on the first Saturday of action. (And don’t deny it: we know you want to see whether Corso dons the Tiger or Elephant mascot’s head.)
When GameDay ends at noon, don’t pack up and leave the park just yet. From 12-6 p.m., there will be two areas to keep fans entertained before the game starts. The “ESPN Kickoff Week Festival presented by Gillette” and the “Chick-fil-A College Kickoff FanZone presented by Coca-Cola Zero” will feature interactive games and other activities, along with plenty of food and drinks. There will also be exhibits where you can show off your passing and kicking abilities … and it’s quite all right if you’re not as good as the players you will be watching later.
If you are a true fan of either team, make sure to head over to the Georgia World Congress Center at 4:30 p.m. where you will be able to spend a couple of hours at either the “Bama Bash” or the “Tiger Tailgate” official team parties. (Tickets and parking passes are available online at Chick-fil-ABowl.com.) More food, more partying, more fun. And if you weren’t already exhilarated enough, each university’s marching band and cheerleaders will perform to build more excitement.
In short, the Chick-fil-A College Kickoff’s premier game-day experience is guaranteed to be a blast and will give fans a taste of what to expect in the now-annual event.
“This event is going to be the Daytona 500 of college football,” said Gary Stokan, Chick-fil-A Bowl president. “We think we’ve created the biggest and best celebration to start the college football season. And we’re going to host this event every year capped off by a great matchup of two premier teams.”
Virginia Tech has even signed on to be part of the festivities in 2009; their opponent has yet to be named.
THE MATCHUP
As the pre-game festivities come to a close, it will then be time for the moment we’ve all been waiting for: the inaugural Chick-fil-A College Kickoff Game. The Clemson Tigers head into the game as the No. 9-ranked team in the nation, while the Alabama Crimson Tide earned a No. 24 ranking in the Associated Press Poll (they are unranked in the USA Today Coaches Poll but have the most votes for an unranked team). In this clash of ACC vs. SEC, both teams are hoping to avoid an early hiccup.
As the highest-ranked ACC squad, the Tigers are considered by many to be the favorites in the conference. Whether or not they can finally reach their expectations is a different story, however. Clemson enters the game with arguably the best 1-2 punch at the running-back position in senior James Davis and junior C.J. Spiller. The two of them combined for more than 1,800 yards with 13 touchdowns last season. Davis had 10 of those scores, and high-school football fans surely remember his days at Douglass High when he posted two games with 300-plus rushing yards as a senior. Cullen Harper returns at quarterback after having a very successful 2007 season, throwing for almost 3,000 yards with 27 touchdowns and just six interceptions. And with a powerful defense stepping in, many believe that head coach Tommy Bowden must prove the naysayers wrong this year – or else he might not get another chance to.
Meanwhile, the controversial Nick Saban will look to improve his team in his second year as head coach, and the mastermind certainly brought in one of the most impressive recruiting classes in the offseason. One of the players that will be followed with much anticipation is wide receiver Julio Jones, ESPN’s top-rated recruit coming out of high school. Tossing him the ball will be John Parker Wilson, the senior quarterback who has thrown 35 touchdowns in the past two seasons despite the Crimson Tide struggling overall. Wilson will have plenty of protection on the offensive line with tackle Andre Smith and center Antoine Caldwell, two preseason All-SEC selections. And on defense, Harper had better watch out for defensive back Rashad Jones, who led the team with 81 tackles and six interceptions in 2007. The Crimson Tide finished just 7-6 last season—which included a loss to *gulp* Louisiana-Monroe—so you can bet that they will be playing with a chip on their shoulders this season.
The game is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. and will be part of a split national broadcast by ABC (some parts of the country will see Michigan State vs. California). For more information on the day’s schedule including maps and directions, or for ticket information, visit Chick-fil-ABowl.com.
Let the Pigskin Party begin!
Arapoglou can be reached at tarapoglou@scoreatl.com.
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