When it comes to neutral-site regular-season openers, Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl CEO Gary Stokan goes straight to the top when he makes his case for their continued appeal in college football.
"I think going back to when we started these in 2008, Alabama and Clemson had the foresight to play in our first kickoff game," Stokan told Sporting News. "When you look at the top two programs in the country right now it's Clemson and Alabama. Give credit to those coaches to those ADs, the athletic departments who want to go out and schedule tough opponents."
That's obviously not the only reason the Crimson Tide and Tigers are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in most preseason polls this year, but Stokan has a point: That 2008 matchup, a 34-10 Alabama win, helped set up the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff game in Atlanta for future success.
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Last year, No. 1 Alabama met No. 3 Florida State on the opening Saturday. This year, No. 6 Washington meets No. 9 Auburn at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS. While No. 14 Michigan at No. 12 Notre Dame is the biggest on-campus game, the matchup between the Huskies and Tigers has bigger and more immediate College Football Playoff ramifications. ESPN's Football Power Index ranked the game the third most-important in terms of the Playoff chase.
Stokan spells out what this game means for both teams in that regard. If Washington wins then takes the Pac-12 championship, it'll be in the Playoff. If Auburns wins, it's a trump card similar to what Alabama used last year in the same spot, when the Tide made the Playoff despite not playing in the SEC title game.
Of course, it's not perfect. Washington is traveling from the West Coast and playing an Auburn team that will be relatively close to home. Washington coach Chris Petersen said it doesn't feel like a neutral-site game unless both fan bases have to get on a plane.
"I would love to play in a neutral-site game," Petersen said during the Pac-12 teleconference on Tuesday. "I don't think we're playing in a neutral-site game at all. This is very much their backyard. This will be basically a home game on a neutral-site field for them. If it truly is a neutral-site game, those can be exciting."
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The Huskies took the game, however, and more Pac-12 teams are coming. Oregon announced a date with Georgia in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game last week, and Stokan said the hope is to get more Pac-12 and even some Big Ten teams involved. One of the biggest hang-ups in that regard is the Big Ten and Pac-12, alongside the Big 12, play nine-game conference schedules. The ACC and SEC each only play an eight.
Stokan said the appeal to play in a heavyweight neutral-sight game benefits the players and coaches — who get an early-season test — and the program, which gets the spotlight in a recruiting hotbed like Atlanta. That's why neutral-site games such as No. 1 Alabama vs. Louisville (Orlando), No. 8 Miami vs. No. 25 LSU (Arlington, Texas) and even Ole Miss vs. Texas Tech (Houston) will always have appeal to athletic directors. The money and TV exposure are often too much pass up.
"I like the home-and-home and wish we had more of them, but let's face it, if we didn't have some of the neutral-site matchups, we wouldn't have some of those intriguing games the last few years," ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit said. "I think they're great. I applaud the coaches who are willing to take them on."
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Nobody has followed that model better than Alabama under Nick Saban. The Crimson Tide are 8-0 in neutral-site openers since that first victory against Clemson in 2008, and that includes five appearances in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game. Stokan insists the victory against No. 3 Florida State last year was a big reason why the Alabama held off Ohio State in the final College Football Playoff rankings.
"It got Alabama in the CFP," Stokan said. "There's no doubt about it. That was the thing that got Alabama over Ohio State in the CFP. Now Ohio State lost to Iowa, but Alabama beating a No. 3 team in the country who at the time that had their QB, that's what got them in."
The future of the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game looks bright, too. Alabama will play Duke in 2019 and Miami in 2021. In 2020, the venue will have a triple-header with Florida State-West Virginia (Sept. 5), Georgia-Virginia (Sept. 7) and North Carolina-Auburn (Sept. 12).
"We strive to have the best opening game of the season," Stokan said. "We believe we are the capital of college football with the College Football Hall of Fame here and this is the perfect setting for these games."
