Georgia's Peach Bowl History Says UGA vs OSU Will Be Close

A brief history of the iconic Peach Bowl game and how the Georgia Bulldogs have faired in the bowl since the game's creation in 1968.

Christian Kirby II | Dec 13, 2022

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Georgia Bulldogs

College Football has been home to numerous iconic bowl games for decades now. The prestige of iconic matchups such as the Cotton Bowl, Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl, or even the Sugar Bowl often times transcend college football with their instantly recognizable names and venues. But oftentimes, people forget to mention one other legendary matchup. The Peach Bowl.

Receiving certification from the NCAA in 1968, the game was originally created to bring exposure to college football in the Metro Atlanta area. The games were originally played in Georgia Tech's grant field, until 1971 when the contest was moved to Fulton County Stadium (former stadium of the Atlanta Falcons). The game continued to grow over the years and was eventually taken over by the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce to devote even more resources and increase its exposure.

In 1996, the Peach Bowl was sponsored by the famous Georgia fast-food chain Chick-fil-a. Eventually, in 2006, the name of the bowl was changed to just the "Chick-fil-a Bowl". In 2008, Chick-fil-a also became involved in regular season games as well, hosting their annual "Chick-fil-a Kickoff Classic". While the venue for both contests (The Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia) remained the same. The contest shifted to a matchup that took place exclusively between an ACC and SEC team.

This format for the "Chick-fil-a Bowl" remained the same until 2013 when the game was selected to become a part of the inaugural season for the College Football Playoff. Now, the game alternates every year between a New Year's Six bowl and a Playoff game.

Despite the game being held in its home state. The Georgia Bulldogs have only played in the iconic bowl game a total of 6 times and have an all-time record of 4-2. Their most recent appearance was the 2021 classic between Cincinnati that saw the Dawgs win 24-21 after a go-ahead field goal by Jack Podlesney gave the Bulldogs a 1-point lead with just seconds left. Azeez Ojulari finished the game (and Bulldog career) with a safety as time expired.

Notable Facts:

Georgia is on a 3-game win streak in Peach Bowls since 1998
This will be the first playoff Peach Bowl for both UGA and Ohio State
Of the 6 prior Peach Bowl games Georgia has played in, all games have been 1 score finishes that were decided by an average of 3 points.

Georgia and Ohio State will kick off the 58th annual Peach Bowl on December 31st at 8 pm in what will certainly be the most important Peach Bowl in Georgia Football history.

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