Peach Bowl | |
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Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl | |
Stadium | Mercedes-Benz Stadium |
Location | Atlanta, Georgia |
Previous stadiums |
Georgia Dome (1993–2016) Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium (1971–1992) Grant Field (1968–1970) |
Operated | 1968–present |
Conference tie-ins | At-large/Group of Five (2014–present) |
Previous conference tie-ins | SEC, ACC |
Payout |
US$3,967,500 (ACC) (As of 2011[update]) US$2,932,500 (SEC) (As of 2011[update]) |
Sponsors | |
Chick-fil-A (1997–present)
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Former names | |
Peach Bowl (1968–1996)
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (1997–2005) Chick-fil-A Bowl (2006–2013) |
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2016 season matchup | |
Alabama vs. Washington (Alabama 24–7) | |
2017 season matchup | |
TBD (January 1, 2018) |
The Peach Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played in Atlanta, Georgia since December 1968. It has been sponsored by Chick-fil-A since 1997, and is officially known as the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. From 2006 to 2013, it was officially referred to as simply the Chick-fil-A Bowl.
The first three Peach Bowls were played at Grant Field on the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta. Between 1971 and 1992, Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium hosted the game. Between 1993 and 2016, the Georgia Dome has played host. The bowl will then be moved to Mercedes-Benz Stadium after that facility opens, scheduled for mid-2017. Since the 2014 season, the Peach Bowl has featured College Football Playoff matchups, with the 2016, 2019, 2022, and 2025 games hosting a national semifinal.
Seven of the first ten meetings (all but the 1968, 1971, and 1974 games) pitted an Atlantic Coast Conference team against an at-large opponent. The bowl had no automatic berths prior to 1993, but usually featured an ACC team or a team from the Southeastern Conference. From 1993 until 2013, the game matched a SEC team against one from the ACC. From 1993 to 2005, this matchup was the third selection from the ACC against the fourth from the SEC. In 2005, the bowl hosted its first-ever matchup of top 10 ranked teams.
The game was originally created as a fund-raiser by the Lions Clubs of Georgia in 1968, but after years of lackluster attendance and revenue, the game was taken over by the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.
Chick-fil-A, a fast food restaurant chain based in nearby College Park, has sponsored the game since 1997. From 2006 until 2013, Chick-fil-A's contract gave it full naming rights and the game was referred to as the Chick-fil-A Bowl as a result. The traditional "Peach Bowl" name was reinstated following the announcement that the bowl would be one of the six College Football Playoff bowls.