Chick-fil-A Bowl Matches Virginia and No. 25 Auburn in Prime Time on New Year’s Eve

ATLANTA (Dec. 4, 2011) – The Chick-fil-A Bowl today announced that the Virginia Cavaliers will square off against the reigning BCS National Champion and 25th-ranked Auburn Tigers on Dec. 31 in Atlanta. 

The Chick-fil-A Bowl officially extended invitations to both the Cavaliers and the Tigers for the 44th annual ACC/SEC showdown on New Year’s Eve in the Georgia Dome. The invitations were accepted by Virginia and Auburn officials during a conference call this afternoon.  

Virginia and Auburn have met just twice (1998, 1997), and are tied at 1-1 in the all-time series. 

“Virginia and Auburn represent two of the most exciting young teams in the country,” said Gary Stokan, Chick-fil-A Bowl president and CEO. “With these two teams, we have two top-tier coaching staffs, incredible fan bases and great history and tradition. We’re expecting an unmatched atmosphere and a real battle in Atlanta for the Chick-fil-A Bowl.” 

Virginia (8-4, 5-3) will be making its fourth appearance in the Chick-fil-A Bowl after closing the 2011 regular season with four wins in the final five games en route to a second place finish in the ACC Coastal Division. Offensively, the Cavaliers are led by junior running back Perry Jones, who is seventh in the ACC in rushing yards with 883. Coach Mike London was named ACC Coach of the Year after leading the Cavaliers to a four-win improvement from the 2010 season. 

“On behalf of the entire University of Virginia community, we are proud to represent not only UVa but also the Atlantic Coast Conference in the 2011 Chick-fil-A Bowl,” said Virginia athletics director Craig Littlepage on Sunday. “We are excited to be coming to Atlanta. We have great memories from our previous bowl trips to Atlanta, including an exciting, last-minute victory against the University of Georgia in 1995.”

“The Chick-fil-A Bowl will be a great opportunity for our fans to show their support for our football team and Coach London, the ACC¹s 2011 Coach of the Year, as he continues to build the Cavalier program,” Littlepage continued. “We're seeing tangible results on the field having completed the regular season with victories against ranked opponents Georgia Tech and Florida State and a Thursday night win at Miami on ESPN. Congratulations to Coach London, his staff and our student-athletes for all of their hard work and dedication.” 

“This is outstanding for our football program and our players will be elated to meet the reigning national champions from Auburn in Atlanta at the Chick-fil-A Bowl,” said Virginia Head Coach Mike London of the Cavaliers’ selection. “No one on our roster has played in a bowl game, so what a fantastic opportunity and setting for them to do so for the first time. I want to congratulate Coach Gene Chizik and the Auburn team on another successful season in the very competitive SEC. We are looking forward to our game with the Tigers.”

Virginia has made three appearances in the Chick-fil-A Bowl, most recently in 1998 when the Cavaliers dropped a 35-33 decision to Georgia. Virginia registered wins in 1995 (34-27 over Georgia) and 1984 (27-24 over Purdue).

Auburn (7-5, 4-4) will be making its fifth appearance in the Chick-fil-A Bowl, just one year removed from winning the BCS National Championship. The Tigers spent seven weeks in the AP Top-25 this season, but ultimately suffered five losses at the hands of teams currently ranked in the AP Top-25 (LSU, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia and Clemson). Offensively, the Tigers are led by sophomore running back Michael Dyer, who has gained 1242 yards on the ground and scored 10 touchdowns this season.

"We are pleased to accept an invitation to play in the Chick-fil-A Bowl,” said Auburn Director of Athletics Jay Jacobs. “The Chick-fil-A Bowl is a first-class organization, and Virginia is an outstanding program. This will be a very good test for our football team and a great opportunity for our fans to come support the Tigers in Atlanta, which is close and convenient for our alumni and fan base."

“We’re extremely excited to be traveling to Atlanta to play a very good Virginia team in the Chick-fil-A Bowl,” added Auburn Head Coach Gene Chizik. “I know our players are excited for this opportunity and I look forward to our fans helping pack the Georgia Dome on New Year’s Eve.”

Auburn holds a 3-1 record in four previous Chick-fil-A Bowl appearances (2007, 2001, 1996, 1990), most recently, an overtime win against Clemson in 2007.

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.

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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 44th year, the Chick-fil-A Bowl has established itself as one of the nation’s elite bowl games with a string of 14 consecutive sellouts and has earned a reputation as one of the most competitive bowls in the nation. Ten of the last 19 games have been decided by a touchdown or less. The Chick-fil-A Bowl has disbursed more than $103 million in team payouts over its 43-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 $7 million to organizations in need since 2002. Other events under the Chick-fil-A Bowl brand include the Chick-fil-A Bowl Challenge head coach and celebrity golf event each spring and the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game season-opening game over Labor Day weekend.