Advertisement

TV channel, surprise kickoff time locked in for Clemson-Georgia football showdown

chapel fowler
·3 min read

The Clemson football team’s highly anticipated season opener against Georgia in Atlanta officially has a kickoff time — and it’s a bit of a surprise.

The Tigers and the Bulldogs will kick off at noon from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Saturday, Aug. 31, ESPN announced on Tuesday morning. ABC will broadcast the game.

Although the game will still be played on a prime TV channel, the early kickoff time surprised some fans on social media given the hype surrounding the Week 1 cross-conference meeting between the regional rivals.

The 2024 Aflac Kickoff Game features a UGA program that won two straight national championships under Kirby Smart from 2021-22 and just missed out on another College Football Playoff last fall, and a Clemson team seeking its first CFP appearance since the 2020 season under coach Dabo Swinney after a 9-4 year.

The game’s kickoff time was released Wednesday morning as part of an ESPN presentation for select games early in the 2024 college football season. Georgia is currently a 13.5-point betting favorite over Clemson, according to FanDuel.

“All eyes will be on Atlanta when two of college football’s biggest brands face off in a showdown that will certainly have College Football Playoff implications,” Peach Bowl CEO Gary Stokan, whose organization runs the game, said in a press release.

Clemson is making its third appearance in the Aflac Kickoff Game (previously the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game) and first since 2022 against Georgia Tech, and Georgia is making its fourth appearance in the game and first since 2022.

The 2024 meeting between Clemson and UGA marks the back end of a two-game neutral site agreement between the programs following a meeting in the Duke’s Mayo Classic game at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium to kick off the 2021 season. Georgia won that game, 10-3, en route to a national championship.

This game also represents the first of five scheduled meetings between the ACC and SEC rivals over the next 10 years (2029 and 2033 in Clemson, 2030 and 2032 in Athens). The schools are only 75 miles apart from each other and have played 65 times since 1897, but only 17 times since 1980 (44 seasons).

UGA leads the series 43-18-4 and has won two straight.

Georgia finished 13-1 and No. 4 in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll after going undefeated for a third straight regular season but missing out on a CFP spot after losing to Alabama in the 2023 SEC championship game. The Bulldogs routed Florida State, 63-3, in the Orange Bowl and feature a number of stars, including starting quarterback Carson Beck and Florida transfer running back Trevor Etienne.

Clemson, meanwhile, enters the game as nearly a two-touchdown underdog. The Tigers snapped a 12-year streak of 10 or more wins last year and had their most losses (four) under Swinney since 2011.

But second-year starting QB Cade Klubnik and company generated some positive momentum with a game-winning drive against Kentucky in the Gator Bowl. Clemson’s 38-35 win in Jacksonville marked its fifth straight win after a 4-4 start.

Kickoff times and television channel designation for Clemson’s next two games following the UGA opener are expected later this month.

Clemson football 2024 schedule