BREAKING: Kickoff Time Set for Georgia Bulldogs vs. Oregon Ducks
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ATHENS - Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs will open their season in the afternoon to a nationwide audience this fall.
Disney announced Tuesday that the Bulldogs would face Dan Lanning’s Oregon Ducks at 3:30 on ABC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta at the 2022 Chick-fil-a Kickoff Game. FanDuel lists the Bulldogs as 16.5-point favorites to beat the Ducks.
The line gives the Dawgs around an 87% chance to win the game. Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs have only lost once as 15-point favorites or more (2019 South Carolina).
“I can’t think of a better way to kick off the 2022 season than with two projected preseason top-10 teams appearing in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game,” Gary Stokan, Peach Bowl, Inc. CEO and president said in a release. “We may even see one of these teams make a return trip to Atlanta on New Year’s Eve to close out the season in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.”
Georgia is making its third appearance in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game after most recently defeating UNC 33-24 in Kirby Smart’s first victory as a head coach in 2016. Meanwhile, Oregon will appear in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game for the first time in the program’s history. This will mark only the second time the two football programs have met after the only previous meeting resulted in a 27-16 home win for the Bulldogs in 1977. Georgia was scheduled to face off against Virginia to open the 2020 season in Atlanta, but the matchup was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Bulldogs are coming off their first national title in 41 years. Lanning was an integral part of the program’s run over the last few years culminating in perhaps the best defense in college football history in 2021.
The Ducks went 10-4 in 2021 - losing in the Pac 12 title game against Utah with a berth in the Rose Bowl Game on the line. The Ducks ended the year ranked No. 22 in the final AP poll. Lanning was announced as Oregon’s head coach in early December after Mario Cristobal left for Miami after the season.
The Bulldogs return a slew of offensive weapons including starting quarterback Stetson Bennett.
Georgia’s 12-game schedule kicks off in Atlanta before an eight-game SEC stretch with games against UAB, Kent State and Gerogia Tech sprinkled into the season. Georgia’s game at South Carolina is the first road game of the season.
The Dawgs only play four true road games in 2022. Georgia hosts Tennessee on November 5th - a week after the critical rivalry game with the Gators in Jacksonville. Back-to-back games at Mississippi State and at Kentucky are viewed as tough end-of-season tests before the Yellow Jackets come to Athens for the first time since 2018.
The 2022 SEC Championship Game is scheduled for December 3rd.