It’s expected to be the most highly-anticipated game for the 2017 college football season, and according to some information released today, the Chick-fil-A Kickoff has not disappointed.
Per a press release from Matt Garvey, vice president of communications for the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, tickets for the Alabama-Florida State matchup on Saturday, Sept. 2 inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta have officially sold out two months prior to kickoff. Garvey states in the press release that this game may be the matchup of the two highest-ranked teams to ever play on opening weekend in nearly 150 years of college football. Both programs are ranked in the top four of numerous preseason polls and return two quarterbacks – Deondre Francois and Jalen Hurts – that look to excite the crowd with huge plays throughout the game.
Gary Stokan, CEO and president of the Peach Bowl, is calling this game “the GOAT.”
“This will be the Greatest Opener of All Time, because of the projected rankings, the dominance of these two programs and the fact that this is the toughest ticket I have seen in my 20 years of college football,” Stokan said. “To possibly have #1 against #2 in the first game of the season is a credit to the programs that Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher have built and their willingness to play this game shows their desire to compete at the highest level.”
The last time the Crimson Tide battled Florida State was in 2007.
Fisher, who served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the time, helped the Seminoles earn a 21-14 victory. Since 2008, Saban and the Tide are 4-0 in Chick-fil-A Kickoff Games.
Stephen M. Smith is a managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @Smsmith_TDALMag.
