Rumored to be in the works for months, the teams that will fill out what’s fast becoming a highly-anticipated season-opening tradition have officially been identified.
It was announced Thursday afternoon that, as speculated, Louisville will face Auburn in the 2015 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game. The game, which will mark the eighth year of the kickoff game, will be played Saturday, Sept. 5, in the Georgia Dome.
Auburn has previously appeared in a Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, a 26-19 loss to Clemson in 2012.
That 2015 Cardinals-Tigers game will mark just the second meeting between the two football programs, with the first coming in 1974 (16-3, AU).
“The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game has an outstanding tradition of putting together great match-ups, and facing Auburn in this type of event is great for our program and university,” UofL head coach Charlie Strong said in a statement. “We look forward to opening the 2015 season against a great SEC opponent like Auburn. I’m very excited for our fans that will get the opportunity to be a part of a great game and an exciting atmosphere. The exposure our football players and our program will get from a match-up like this is tremendous as we continue to build this program, and it is going to be a great experience for our fans.”
This year’s Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game will pit Alabama against Virginia Tech.
Next year’s slate will, like 2012, feature two kickoff games: Ole Miss-Boise State, Alabama-West Virginia.