Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game sets 5:30 pm kick time for Georgia-North Carolina

Atlanta, GA – The (13) Georgia Bulldogs will face the (19) North Carolina Tar Heels to open the 2016 college football season September 3 in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta. Kick time has been set for 5:30 p.m. EST and the game will be nationally telecast on ESPN.

UNC Tar Heels will play in the 2016 Chik-Fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta. photo by Gene Galin

The Georgia-UNC rivalry has been on hiatus for more than 40 years, but the SEC and ACC powers will continue the series for the first time since 1971. This game marks the ninth straight year the college football season has opened on a national stage in Atlanta with two powerhouse programs in a bowl-style, blockbuster game.

Georgia and North Carolina have met 30 times since 1895, the last contest a 7-3 Georgia victory. Overall, the Bulldogs hold a 16-12-2 advantage over the Tar Heels.

This will be the second appearance for both teams in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game – college football’s longest-running current neutral-site game series. North Carolina last opened their season in Atlanta against LSU in 2010, while Georgia played Boise State in the 2011 edition of the game.

The teams will battle for The Old Leather Helmet Trophy, one of college football’s newest rivalry-style icons. Traditionally, winners of The Old Leather Helmet don the helmet on the field after the game, starting with the head coach and then rotating from player to player as the team celebrates its victory.

Past Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game teams and winners of The Old Leather Helmet include:

Year:      Match-Up:                                                                                    Winner:                

2015      (25) Louisville vs. (6) Auburn                                             Auburn 31-24

2014      (2) Alabama vs. West Virginia                                            Alabama 33-23

2014      (18) Ole Miss vs. Boise State                                               Ole Miss 35-13

2013      (1) Alabama vs. Virginia Tech                                             Alabama 35-10

2012      (14) Clemson vs. (24) Auburn                                            Clemson 26-19

2012      (25) NC State vs. Tennessee                                                 Tennessee 35-21

2011      (5) Boise State vs. (19) Georgia                                         Boise State 35-21

2010      (16) LSU vs. (18) North Carolina                                      LSU 30-24

2009      (5) Alabama vs. (7) Virginia Tech                                      Alabama 34-24                   

2008      (9) Clemson vs. (24) Alabama                                            Alabama 34-10

All tickets are being sold through the university ticket offices. No tickets will be available through the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl office.

The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game was created by Peach Bowl, Inc., in partnership with ESPN, as a bowl-style game to kick off the season matching two elite football programs on the first Saturday of every season.

For more information, visit Chick-fil-AKickoffGame.com.