Peach Bowl facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Peach Bowl
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
Stadium	Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Location	Atlanta, Georgia
Previous stadiums	Grant Field (1968–1970) Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium (1971–1992) Georgia Dome (1993–2016)
Operated	1968–present
Previous conference tie-ins	SEC, ACC
Payout	US$3,967,500 (ACC) (As of 2011[update]) US$2,932,500 (SEC) (As of 2011[update])
Sponsors
Chick-fil-A (1997–present)
Former names
Peach Bowl (1968–1996) Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (1997–2005) Chick-fil-A Bowl (2006–2013)
2023 matchup
Ole Miss vs. Penn State (Ole Miss 38–25)
2024 season matchup
Texas vs. Arizona State (Texas 39–312OT)

The Peach Bowl is a big college football game played every year in Atlanta, Georgia. It has been happening since December 30, 1968.

The first three Peach Bowls were played at Grant Field on the Georgia Tech campus. From 1971 to 1992, the game was held at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium. Then, from 1993 to 2016, it moved to the Georgia Dome. Since 2017, the Peach Bowl has been played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Since 1997, the game has been sponsored by Chick-fil-A, a fast food company. Because of this, it is officially called the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. From 2006 to 2013, it was known as the Chick-fil-A Bowl.

For many years, the Peach Bowl often featured teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). From 1993 to 2013, these conferences had special agreements to send their teams to the bowl game.

In 2014, the Peach Bowl became one of the "New Year's Six" bowls. These are the most important bowl games in the College Football Playoff. The Peach Bowl was a semifinal game in the four-team playoff in 2016, 2019, and 2022.

The College Football Playoff expanded to twelve teams for the 2024–25 season. Now, the Peach Bowl is either a quarterfinal or a semifinal game each year. It was a quarterfinal in January 2025. When it is a semifinal, the game is played about a week after New Year's Day.

The team that wins the Peach Bowl gets the George P. Crumbley Trophy. This trophy is named after George Crumbley, who started the game.

History of the Peach Bowl

The NCAA approved the Peach Bowl on May 1, 1968. The game was created to raise money for the Georgia Lighthouse for the Blind Foundation. This was a project of the Lions Clubs of Georgia. George Pierre Crumbley Jr., a Lions Club member, is known as the "Father of the Peach Bowl." He helped make sure the game was approved by the NCAA.

In 1986, the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce took over the Peach Bowl. This happened because the game was not getting many fans or making much money.

For many years, the Peach Bowl often had a team from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). It also often featured a team from the Southeastern Conference (SEC). From 1993 to 2013, the game officially matched an SEC team against an ACC team.

Chick-fil-A, a fast food chain from nearby College Park, started sponsoring the game in 1997. From 2006 to 2013, Chick-fil-A had full naming rights. So, the game was called the Chick-fil-A Bowl. The money from this sponsorship helped increase the payments to the teams playing in the game.

In 2007, the Chick-fil-A Bowl became the most-watched non-BCS bowl game in the past ten years. The bowl made $12.3 million in profit in 2007. However, only $5.9 million was paid to the schools that played. By 2013, the bowl had sold out for 17 years in a row. This was the second-longest streak after only the Rose Bowl Game.

The Peach Bowl became a major bowl game in 2014. It joined the "New Year's Six" bowls. This meant it would feature top teams from major conferences. The original "Peach Bowl" name was brought back after this announcement.

Since 2016, the Peach Bowl has given more than $32 million to charity.

Exciting Games in Peach Bowl History

The 1974 game was the only Peach Bowl to end in a tie. Texas Tech and Vanderbilt each scored only two field goals, making it a 6–6 tie. This was before college football used overtime rules.

The 1976 game was the only shutout in Peach Bowl history. Kentucky won 21–0 against North Carolina.

The January 1981 game was the first Peach Bowl played outside of December. It followed the 1980 season.

The 2005 game was the first to feature two teams ranked in the top 10. LSU, ranked 10th, beat ninth-ranked Miami, 40–3.

The 2007 game was the first Peach Bowl to go into overtime. Auburn won 23–20 against Clemson. This game was also the highest-rated ESPN-broadcast bowl game of the 2007–2008 season.

The 2012 game set a new record for viewers. The game, where Clemson beat LSU 25–24, was ESPN's most-watched non-BCS bowl ever.

The 2017 season game, played on January 1, 2018, was very special. It featured an undefeated UCF against Auburn. Auburn had beaten top teams like Georgia and Alabama. UCF won 34–27, becoming the only undefeated team in the FBS for the 2017 season.

In the 2019 game, LSU scored 63 points. This is still a Peach Bowl record. LSU beat Oklahoma (28 points) on their way to winning the national championship.

The January 2025 game was the second Peach Bowl to go into overtime. Texas beat Arizona State, 39–31, in double-overtime.

Peach Bowl Facts and Figures

• It is the ninth-oldest bowl game in college football history.
• A record 75,406 fans attended the 2006 game at the Georgia Dome.
• The game had 17 straight sellouts from 1998 to 2013.
• It was the highest-attended non-BCS bowl game.
• Over $125 million was paid out to teams through the 2013 season.

Game Results

Here are the results of the Peach Bowl games. The rankings are from the AP poll before each game. Italics mean the game was a tie.

Source:

Denotes College Football Playoff quarterfinal game

Denotes College Football Playoff semifinal game

Teams with Most Appearances

This list shows which teams have played in the Peach Bowl the most times. It includes games up to January 2025.

Teams with multiple appearances

Teams with a single appearance

Won (11): Alabama, Army, Baylor, East Carolina, Houston, Michigan State, Syracuse, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, UCF
Lost (10): Cincinnati, Duke, Illinois, Iowa State, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Washington
Tied (2): Texas Tech, Vanderbilt

Appearances by Conference

This table shows how different college football conferences have performed in the Peach Bowl. It includes games up to January 2025.

• Games marked with an asterisk (*) were played in January of the next calendar year.
• Records are based on what conference a team was in when the game was played.
• Conferences that no longer exist or don't play FBS football are in italics.
  • SWC and Big Eight appearances happened before they joined to form the Big 12 in 1996.
  • The WAC no longer supports FBS football.
• Independent appearances: Army (1985), East Carolina (1991*), Florida State (1968, 1983), Georgia Tech (1971, 1978), Miami (FL) (1980*), Syracuse (1989), Virginia Tech (1980*, 1986), West Virginia (1969, 1972, 1975, 1981)
  • The game after the 1980 season, played in January 1981, was between two independent teams.

Game Records

These are some of the biggest records set in Peach Bowl history.

Source:

Battle for Bowl Week

The Battle for Bowl Week is a fun competition between the two teams playing in the Peach Bowl. They compete in different events during the week before the game. In 2021, these events included a basketball challenge and go-kart racing. From 2011 to 2023, the team that won the Battle for Bowl Week also won the game eight out of thirteen times.

See also

In Spanish: Peach Bowl para niños

• List of college bowl games