Dawgs In Peach Bowl

The University of Georgia will play Cincinnati of the American Athletic Conference in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl scheduled for January 1st in Atlanta, the College Football Playoff committee announced Sunday.

Kickoff for the game between the ninth-ranked Dawgs (7-2) and the eighth-ranked Bearcats (9-0) is scheduled for 12 noon ET and be televised on ESPN. This will be the third all-time meeting between the programs. The Dawgs won both previous contests: 35-13 in Cincinnati in 1942 and 31-17 in Athens in 1976.

“The challenges of this season have been many for every team and I’m certainly excited for our team and especially our seniors to have the opportunity to play in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl which is annually one of the premier New Year’s Six games during the holiday season,” said UGA head coach Kirby Smart. “This is close to home and a venue we are very familiar with; however, none of our players and only a couple of our coaches have had the opportunity to participate in this game. We’re also looking forward to the challenge of playing a quality opponent in Cincinnati. Coach Fickell has done a remarkable job with two 11-win seasons the last two years and a perfect season this year.”

Georgia has made five previous appearances in the Peach Bowl. Georgia’s last appearance in the Atlanta game was December 30, 2006, when the ‘Dawgs defeated Virginia Tech, 31-24. The other four: defeated Maryland, 17-16, on December 28, 1973; lost to Syracuse, 19-18, December 30, 1989; lost to Virginia, 34-27, December 30, 1995; and defeated Virginia, 35-33, December 31, 1998.

“We are delighted with the selection of our team to represent the University of Georgia in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl,” said UGA J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Greg McGarity. “Even though we have played in Atlanta on several occasions, we’ve not had the opportunity to play in this game since 2006. Even under the circumstances of 2020, it will be a new experience for our players and as many of our fans who are able to attend. It’s a great opportunity to play in a first class stadium, and we look forward to competing against an undefeated Cincinnati team.”

This will be Georgia’s 57th post-season appearance—fourth most of any team in the country. The Dawgs’ all-time post-season record is 32-21-3. This is also the 24th consecutive season the Dawgs have earned a bowl appearance, which ranks as the longest current active streak in the country.

Georgia’s senior class is 43-9 in their career with two bowl wins (Rose, Sugar), three SEC Eastern Division championships, 2017 SEC title, 2017 College Football Playoff national runner-up, and pending trip to the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. The 43 senior class victories is one short of the school record of 44 earned by the 2005 and 2019 classes.