ACC vs. SEC double-header on Labor Day weekend to feature
Orange vs. Volunteers and Hokies vs. Gamecocks
ATLANTA (May 13, 2025) – Officials today announced the times and networks for the two 2025 Aflac Kickoff Games on Labor Day weekend. Syracuse vs. Tennessee will kick off at noon ET on Saturday, Aug. 30 and be aired on ABC, while Virginia Tech vs. South Carolina will kick off at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, Aug. 31 and will be nationally telecast on ESPN. Both games will be played from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
This will mark only the second time Aflac Kickoff Games have been scheduled on consecutive days and the first time a game will be played on a Sunday in the event’s 17-year history.
“We’re kicking off the 2025 season here in the Capital of College Football with two terrific ACC vs. SEC matchups,” said Gary Stokan, Peach Bowl, Inc. CEO and president. “For nearly two decades the Aflac Kickoff Game has been the leader in neutral-site opening weekend matchups. That will once again be the case this year with games between storied programs from two of the premier college football conferences.”
Syracuse and South Carolina will both make their first-ever appearances in the Aflac Kickoff Game. Tennessee is set to return for the third time after winning its two previous games in 2012 vs. NC State and a double-overtime thriller in 2017 vs. Georgia Tech. Virginia Tech will also make the program’s third appearance in the game after facing Alabama during its previous two trips in 2009 and 2013.
This will mark only the fourth meeting between the Syracuse and Tennessee football programs, while Virginia Tech and South Carolina will face off for the 21st time. The Volunteers hold a 3-0 all-time record vs. the Orange, including a 33-9 Tennessee win in their most recent meeting during the 2001 season. South Carolina holds an 11-7-2 all-time record vs. the Hokies, but this will be their first matchup in 34 years after the Gamecocks prevailed 28-21 in 1991.
The 2025 Aflac Kickoff Games represent the 15th and 16th ACC vs. SEC contests since the event’s creation in 2008, with the SEC holding a 13-1 advantage in head-to-head matchups entering this year’s games.
Both teams will battle for The Old Leather Helmet Trophy, one of college football’s newest rivalry-style icons. Traditionally, winners of The Old Leather Helmet don the helmet on the field after the game, starting with the head coach and then rotating from player to player as the team celebrates its victory.
Fans interested in purchasing tickets to this year’s Aflac Kickoff Games are encouraged to join the official Peach Bowl, Inc. Wait List. Members of the Wait List will be contacted before the general public on any ticket offer on a first come, first served basis if there is ticket availability in late summer. All proceeds from the Wait List will benefit the Peach Bowl LegACy Fund, dedicated to helping find a cure for childhood cancer.
For more information, visit https://aflackickoffgame.com/.
ABOUT PEACH BOWL, INC.:
Peach Bowl, Inc. is a 501(c)3 organization that operates the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, the Aflac Kickoff Game, the Southern Company Peach Bowl Challenge charity golf tournament, and manages and operates The Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank national coach of the year award. It is the ninth-oldest bowl game in the country and is recognized as college football’s most charitable bowl organization, having donated more than $65.8 million to organizations in need since 2002.
Peach Bowl, Inc Events:
Our Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl is one of the New Year’s Six bowls selected to host the College Football Playoff including the CFP Semifinal in 2026. Over its 57 years, the game has drawn 3.38 million fans in attendance, a total television audience of 257.1 million viewers on ESPN, and has created $934.2 million in direct economic impact and $55.18 million in tax revenue for Atlanta and Georgia.
Our Aflac Kickoff Game is the nation’s longest-running kickoff game and has reshaped the opening weekend in college football. With 21 games since 2008, the game has regularly hosted the nation’s top teams and has drawn nearly 1.4 million fans, 108.6 million television viewers, distributed $127.7 million in team payouts and created an additional $593.8 million in economic impact and $41.5 million in tax revenue for Atlanta and Georgia.
The Southern Company Peach Bowl Challenge is the nation’s premier charity golf tournament featuring top current and former college football coaches. Hosted at the beautiful Reynolds Lake Oconee resort outside Atlanta each spring, the event has generated $10 million for the various foundations and charities supported by its coaches.\
The Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank is college football’s most coveted national coaching award. Named for legendary Georgia Tech coach Bobby Dodd, The Dodd Trophy annually honors the FBS football coach whose program represents three pillars of success: scholarship, leadership and integrity.
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