In a be-careful-what-you-wish-for moment, Duke announced Monday that the Blue Devils football team will play Alabama in the 2019 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for our program, and obviously an incredible challenge facing the University of Alabama, “ Duke coach David Cutcliffe, an Alabama alum, said in a statement.
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According to the press release posted on the Duke athletics website, the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game averages more than 67,000 fans for each game, higher than 33 of last season’s bowl games, and team payouts average $4.7 million, more than 24 bowl games last season.
The 2019 game is scheduled for Saturday, Aug, 31, with the time and television coverage TBD.
In the nine games they have played in Atlanta since 2008, the Crimson Tide are 8-1, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes. They are 4-0 in Kickoff games and 5-1 in SEC championship games.
Alabama has already punched its ticket to this season’s SEC title game and may find itself back at the Georgia Dome for a College Football Playoff semifinal Dec. 31. The Tide also open next season in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game against Florida State.
Per the AJC, Peach Bowl Inc. president and CEO Gary Stokan said his group has been able to draw Alabama to the Kickoff game so many times thanks to a solid relationship with coach Nick Saban and athletic director Bill Battle, as well as the Atlanta area and state of Georgia being key recruiting spots for the program and Alabama wanting high-profile neutral-site games as season openers.
The 2019 season opener will be the fifth time Duke and Alabama have played football against each other, the Tide winning the last three: in 1972 (35-12 in Birmingham), 2006 (30-14 in Tuscaloosa) and 2010 (62-13 in Durham). The Blue Devils beat ‘Bama 29-26 in the Sugar Bowl on January 1, 1945.
For those interested in attending the likely one-sided affair in 2019, ticket prices range from $125 to $300, and a non-refundable deposit of $75 per ticket is required, according to Duke’s statement.