Chick-fil-A Bowl Selects #7 LSU to Face a Top ACC Opponent |
ATLANTA (Dec. 2, 2012) – The Chick-fil-A Bowl has selected the #7 LSU Tigers to represent the SEC against a top-ranked opponent from the ACC in its 45th annual game Dec. 31 in Atlanta.
“We’re about as excited as you can be to have a 10-win team ranked #7 in the nation in the LSU Tigers,” said Gary Stokan, Chick-fil-A Bowl president and CEO. “Coach Miles has led this team to the pinnacle of elite programs in the country and they will, without doubt, give us one of the best bowl match-ups in the nation.” LSU (10-2, 6-2 SEC) comes into the Bowl winners of five of their last six games with an opportunity to win an 11th game for the seventh time in its history. LSU’s stingy defensive squad only gave up 16.9 points per game, ranking them 11th nationally. The Tigers defeated three top-ranked teams playing in the toughest division in football (#3 South Carolina, #18 Texas A&M, #21 Miss. State) and their only losses came against two top-10 teams in the SEC (#10 Florida and #1 Alabama). “Atlanta is a great city and the Georgia Dome is a tremendous venue,” said Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Joe Alleva. “We are anticipating a quality opponent from the ACC that will make this a great bowl game matchup.” “We look forward to a great matchup and a competitive game in the Chick-fil-A Bowl against a very talented team from the ACC,” said LSU Head Coach Les Miles. “We enjoy playing in Atlanta. It’s a great city that has been very good to LSU. I’m sure that we’ll travel extremely well. The Georgia Dome is an outstanding venue and we are excited about the opportunity to play in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.” LSU is undefeated in five previous Chick-fil-A Bowl appearances. The Tigers most recent trip to Atlanta was a 38-3 win over Georgia Tech in 2008. LSU played in the inaugural Peach Bowl in 1968 against Florida State. LSU also played in the 2010 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game and earned a victory over North Carolina. Teams from the ACC and SEC are tied at 10 wins each since the two conferences began meeting for regional bragging rights in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. The Chick-fil-A Bowl will be played at 7:30 p.m., Dec. 31 in Atlanta’s Georgia Dome and will be nationally televised by ESPN, running unopposed in its prime time slot. For information, visit Chick-fil-ABowl.com and follow @chickfilabowl on Twitter. About the Chick-fil-A Bowl:The Chick-fil-A Bowl is the ninth-oldest bowl game in the country and hosts the longest-running rivalry series between the ACC and SEC. Now in its 45th year, the Chick-fil-A Bowl has established itself as one of the nation’s elite bowl games with a string of 15 consecutive sellouts and has earned a reputation as one of the most competitive bowls in the nation. Fifty-five percent of its games have been decided by a touchdown or less. On television, Chick-fil-A Bowls are three of the top 10 and seven of the top 25 most-viewed non-BCS bowl game telecasts in ESPN history. The Chick-fil-A Bowl has disbursed more than $110 million in team payouts over its 44-year history and has increased team payout every year since 1996. The Bowl also leads all other bowl games in charitable and scholarship contributions, giving more than $13 million to organizations in need since 2002. Other events under the Chick-fil-A Bowl brand include the Chick-fil-A Bowl Challenge charity golf tournament each spring and the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game season-opening game over Labor Day weekend.
Upgrade Your Account
Unlock premium boards and exclusive features (e.g. ad-free) by upgrading your account today.
Upgrade Now
