The Peach Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played in Atlanta, Georgia, since December 30, 1968.
The first three Peach Bowls were played at Grant Field on the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta. Between 1971 and 1992, Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium hosted the game. From 1993 to 2016, the game was played at the Georgia Dome. The bowl then moved to Mercedes-Benz Stadium starting in 2017. Since 1997, it has been sponsored by Chick-fil-A and is officially known as the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. From 2006 to 2013, it was named the Chick-fil-A Bowl.
From its beginning, the Peach Bowl often featured teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Between 1993 and 2013, the ACC and SEC established official tie-ins with the bowl game.
In 2014, the Peach Bowl, along with the "New Year's Six" bowls, became a part of the College Football Playoff. As part of the four team playoff from 2014 to 2023, the Peach Bowl served as a semifinal game in 2016, 2019, and 2022.
With the expansion of the College Football Playoff to 12 teams in the 2024–25 season, the Peach Bowl serves as either a quarterfinal or semifinal each season. It served as a quarterfinal in January 2025 and served as a semifinal in January 2026. When serving as a semifinal, the game is played a week after New Year's Day.
The winner of the bowl game is awarded the George P. Crumbley Trophy, named after the game's founder, George Crumbley.
History The Peach Bowl was approved by the NCAA on May 1, 1968. The game was created to serve as a fundraiser for the Georgia Lighthouse for the Blind Foundation, a project of the Lions Clubs of Georgia. Creation of the bowl is credited to Lions Club member George Pierre Crumbley Jr., known as the "Father of the Peach Bowl", who shepherded it through NCAA certification. While the Peach Bowl has been described as "the nation's first charity bowl", it was predated by other such games, such as the Pythian Bowl (1949–1951).
In 1986, following years of lackluster attendance and revenue, the Peach Bowl was taken over by the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.
Seven of the first ten meetings (all but the 1968, 1971, and 1974 games) pitted an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) team against an at-large opponent. The bowl had no automatic berths prior to 1993, but usually featured an ACC team or a team from the Southeastern Conference (SEC). From 1993 until 2013, the game matched an SEC team against one from the ACC. From 1993 to 2005, this matchup was the third selection from the ACC against the fourth from the SEC.
Chick-fil-A, a fast food restaurant chain based in nearby College Park, has sponsored the game since 1997. From 2006 until 2013, Chick-fil-A's contract gave it full naming rights and the game was referred to as the Chick-fil-A Bowl as a result. Funds from the sponsorship deal were used to increase payouts for the participating teams. In response, from 2006 to 2014, the ACC gave the committee the first pick of its teams after the BCS—usually the loser of the ACC Championship Game or one of the division runners-up. Also from 2006, the bowl got the fifth overall selection from the SEC (including the BCS). However, the BCS took two SEC schools in every season for the last nine years of its run, leaving the Chick-Fil-A with the sixth pick from the conference—usually one of the division runners-up.
In 2007, the Chick-fil-A Bowl became the best-attended non-BCS bowl for the previous decade. According to Sports Illustrated, although the bowl generated $12.3 million in profit in 2007, only $5.9 million of that was paid out to the participating schools.Murphy, Austin, and Dan Wetzel, "Does It Matter?", Sports Illustrated, 15 November 2010, p. 45. In October 2009, the bowl extended the ACC contract through 2013. As of 2013, the bowl had been sold out for 17 straight years, the second-longest streak behind only the Rose Bowl Game.
The Peach Bowl ascended to major-bowl status when it was added to the "New Year's Six" bowls starting with the 2014 season, assuring that it would feature major conference champions and/or prestigious runners-up. The traditional "Peach Bowl" name was reinstated following the announcement.
The Peach Bowl has donated more than $32 million to charity since 2016.
Notable games The 1974 edition is the only Peach Bowl to have ended in a tie, as Texas Tech and Vanderbilt each were limited to two field goals in a 6–6 tie, played before the NCAA used overtime.
The 1976 edition was the first, and to date only, shutout in Peach Bowl history, as Kentucky (21 points) held North Carolina scoreless.
The January 1981 edition, following the 1980 season, was the first Peach Bowl to be held outside of December.
The 2005 edition was the first Peach Bowl to feature two teams that were top-10 ranked. LSU, ranked 10th in both major polls, defeated ninth-ranked Miami, 40–3.
The 2007 edition was the first Peach Bowl to utilize overtime, which Auburn won over Clemson, 23–20. With a 5.09 share (4.92 million households), the 2007 game was the highest-rated ESPN-broadcast bowl game of the 2007–2008 season as well as the highest rated in the game's history. The rating was also higher than two New Year's Day bowls, the Cotton and the Gator.
The 2012 edition set a new record for viewership. The New Year's Eve telecast, a 25–24 Clemson victory over LSU, averaged 8.557 million viewers (a 5.6 household coverage rating), making it ESPN's most-viewed non-BCS bowl ever.
The 2017 season matchup, played January 1, 2018, featured an undefeated UCF playing an Auburn team that had notched regular-season wins over both national championship contenders, Georgia and Alabama (the eventual 2018 College Football Playoff Champion). A 34–27 UCF victory resulted in UCF being the only undefeated team in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for the 2017 season. As such, UCF was selected as the 2017 national champions by one NCAA recognized selector and thus claims a share of the 2017 national championship.
The 2019 edition saw LSU score 63 points, a Peach Bowl record that still stands, while defeating Oklahoma (28 points) en route to the national championship.
The January 2025 edition, following the 2024 season, was the second Peach Bowl to require overtime play, with Texas defeating Arizona State, 39–31, in double-overtime.
Statistics Ninth-oldest bowl game in college football history. A then-Georgia Dome attendance record of 75,406 set in 2006 (Georgia vs. Virginia Tech). 17 straight sellouts (1998–2013). Highest-attended non-BCS bowl game. More than $125 million in cumulative payout (through the 2013 season).
Game results All rankings are taken from the AP poll (inaugurated in 1936), before each game was played. Italics denote a tie game. Date playedBowl nameWinning teamLosing teamAttendanceVenue December 30, 1968 Peach Bowl LSU 31 19 Florida State 2735,545Grant Field December 30, 1969 Peach Bowl 19 West Virginia 14 South Carolina 3 48,452 December 30, 1970 Peach Bowl 8 Arizona State 48 North Carolina 26 52,126 December 30, 1971 Peach Bowl 17 Ole Miss 41 Georgia Tech 18 36,771Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium December 29, 1972 Peach Bowl NC State 49 18 West Virginia 1352,671 December 28, 1973 Peach Bowl Georgia 17 18 Maryland 1638,107 December 28, 1974 Peach Bowl Texas Tech 6 Vanderbilt 6 31,695 December 31, 1975 Peach Bowl West Virginia 13 NC State 10 45,134 December 31, 1976 Peach Bowl Kentucky 21 19 North Carolina 054,132 December 31, 1977 Peach Bowl NC State 24 Iowa State 14 36,733 December 25, 1978 Peach Bowl 17 Purdue 41 Georgia Tech 21 20,277 December 31, 1979 Peach Bowl 19 Baylor 24 18 Clemson 1857,371January 2, 1981 Peach Bowl 20 Miami (Florida) 20 Virginia Tech 10 45,384 December 31, 1981 Peach Bowl West Virginia 26 Florida 6 37,582 December 31, 1982 Peach Bowl Iowa 28 Tennessee 22 50,134 December 30, 1983 Peach Bowl Florida State 28 North Carolina 3 25,648 December 31, 1984 Peach Bowl Virginia 27 Purdue 24 41,107 December 31, 1985 Peach Bowl Army 31 Illinois 29 29,857 December 31, 1986 Peach Bowl Virginia Tech 25 18 NC State 24 53,668January 2, 1988 Peach Bowl 17 Tennessee 27 Indiana 22 58,737 December 31, 1988 Peach Bowl NC State 28 Iowa 23 44,635 December 30, 1989 Peach Bowl Syracuse 19 Georgia 18 44,991 December 29, 1990 Peach Bowl Auburn 27 Indiana 23 38,912January 1, 1992 Peach Bowl 12 East Carolina 37 21 NC State 3459,322January 2, 1993 Peach Bowl 19 North Carolina 21 24 Mississippi State 1769,125Georgia Dome December 31, 1993 Peach Bowl 24 Clemson 14 Kentucky 13 63,416January 1, 1995 Peach Bowl 23 NC State 28 16 Mississippi State 2464,902 December 30, 1995 Peach Bowl 18 Virginia 34 Georgia 27 70,825 December 28, 1996 Peach Bowl 17 LSU 10 Clemson 7 63,622January 2, 1998 Peach Bowl 13 Auburn 21 Clemson 17 71,212 December 31, 1998 Peach Bowl 19 Georgia 35 13 Virginia 3372,876 December 30, 1999 Peach Bowl 15 Mississippi State 17 Clemson 7 73,315 December 29, 2000 Peach Bowl LSU 28 15 Georgia Tech 14 73,614 December 31, 2001 Peach Bowl North Carolina 16 Auburn 10 71,827 December 31, 2002 Peach Bowl 20 Maryland 30 Tennessee 3 68,330January 2, 2004 Peach Bowl Clemson 27 6 Tennessee 1475,125 December 31, 2004 Peach Bowl 14 Miami (Florida) 27 20 Florida 1069,322 December 30, 2005 Peach Bowl 10 LSU 40 9 Miami (Florida) 365,620 December 30, 2006 Chick-fil-A Bowl Georgia 31 14 Virginia Tech 2475,406 December 31, 2007 Chick-fil-A Bowl 22 Auburn 23 15 Clemson 20 74,413 December 31, 2008 Chick-fil-A Bowl LSU 38 14 Georgia Tech 371,423 December 31, 2009 Chick-fil-A Bowl 12 Virginia Tech 37 Tennessee 14 73,777 December 31, 2010 Chick-fil-A Bowl 23 Florida State 26 19 South Carolina 1772,217 December 31, 2011 Chick-fil-A Bowl Auburn 43 Virginia 24 72,919 December 31, 2012 Chick-fil-A Bowl 14 Clemson 25 9 LSU 2468,027 December 31, 2013 Chick-fil-A Bowl 20 Texas A&M 52 22 Duke 4867,946 December 31, 2014 Peach Bowl 6 TCU 42 9 Ole Miss 365,706 December 31, 2015 Peach Bowl Houston 38 9 Florida State 2471,007 December 31, 2016 Peach Bowl 1 Alabama 24 4 Washington 775,996January 1, 2018 Peach Bowl UCF 34 7 Auburn 27 71,109Mercedes-Benz StadiumDecember 29, 2018 Peach Bowl 10 Florida 41 Michigan 1574,006 December 28, 2019 Peach Bowl 1 LSU 63 4 Oklahoma 2878,347January 1, 2021 Peach Bowl Georgia 24 Cincinnati 2115,301 December 30, 2021 Peach Bowl Michigan State 31 Pittsburgh 2141,230 December 31, 2022 Peach Bowl Georgia 42 Ohio State 4179,330 December 30, 2023 Peach Bowl Ole Miss 38 Penn State 2571,230January 1, 2025 Peach Bowl Texas 39 Arizona State 31 71,105January 9, 2026 Peach Bowl Indiana 56 Oregon 22 75,604 Source: Denotes College Football Playoff quarterfinal game Denotes College Football Playoff semifinal game
Most Outstanding Players
Offensive and defensive Most Outstanding Players are selected for each game; from 1989 through 1998, selections were made for both teams.
The trophy is named the 'S. Truett Cathy Most Outstanding Player' award in honor of the founder of Chick-fil-A.