ATLANTA — Georgia won’t have to travel far to its bowl destination this year.
The No. 9 Bulldogs accepted an invitation to the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl on New Year’s Day in Atlanta. They will face No. 8 Cincinnati at Mercedes-Benz Stadium at Noon.
“We are extremely excited to kick off the New Year, Jan. 1 with a top-10 matchup as the first New Year’s Six bowl played in 2021,” said Gary Stokan, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl CEO and president. “Both of the Cincinnati and Georgia programs have persevered through numerous challenges during this unprecedented season and rightfully earned bids to play in an elite New Year’s Six bowl game.”
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The Bearcats finished with an undefeated 9-0 season and won the American Athletic Conference championship. Georgia finished the 2020 season with 7-2 record and will make its first Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl appearance since 2006.
Many argued for the Cincinnati to make the College Football Playoff but the committee went with Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Notre Dame.
The Bearcats boast one of the top defenses in the country, giving up 314.4 yards per game and only 16 points per game. They rank second in interceptions and team passing efficiency defense, so UGA quarterback J.T. Daniels and his receivers face a tough matchup.
[RELATED: CFP matchups: Alabama vs. Notre Dame; Clemson vs. Ohio State]
Channel 2′s Alison Mastrangelo spoke with Stokan about preparations for the game.
He said the bowl will allow 25% capacity at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which means about 18,000 fans will be able to attend. The game is already sold out. Masks and social distancing will be mandatory throughout the stadium. More information on the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl can be found on its website here.
GAME NOTES
- Last year, 12 players sat out of the Sugar Bowl for Georgia. This year, only a handful of players including Eric Stokes, offensive lineman Ben Cleveland, linebacker Monty Rice and tight end Tre’ McKitty have opted out.
- Head coach Kirby Smart says Richard LeCounte is doing everything he can to play for first time since his accident. It will be a game time decision whether he plays.
- Running back James Cook flew home to be with his family after the death of his father and will miss the Peach Bowl.
- This will be Georgia’s first game is a month since Vanderbilt canceled its game with UGA due to COVID-19. Smart said the team has three opponents on New Year’s Day: “Cincinnati, Cincinnati and COVID.”
Coach Smart would not confirm if any players would miss the Chick-fila Peach Bowl due to #COVID19 . He says they haven't announced players missing due to COVID all year and they're not going to start sharing it now.
— Alison Mastrangelo (@AlisonWSB) December 31, 2020
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