Alabama and Tennessee rank 1-2 in Southeastern Conference football history when it comes to league championships.
The Crimson Tide and Volunteers will rank 1-2 as well when it comes to SEC teams playing in the new $1.6 billion Mercedes-Benz Stadium that was spearheaded by Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank. This year’s Chick-fil-A Kickoff lineup has No. 1 Alabama facing No. 3 Florida State on Saturday night and No. 25 Tennessee facing Georgia Tech on Monday night.
“The fans of all four schools are going to be in for a unique experience, because it’s the greatest stadium in the world,” said Gary Stokan, the CEO and president of Peach Bowl, Inc. “The halo board is bigger than Jerry Jones’ board in Dallas, and it goes 360 degrees around the stadium. Give Arthur Blank all the credit in the world for what he’s done, from the fan experience side to the food. You’re going to be able to buy a Coke for a couple of dollars and get free refills.
“You’re going to be able to buy Chick-fil-A for what you can buy it in the restaurant. There are not huge markups that you’ve experienced in the past with new facilities.”
The two matchups between SEC and Atlantic Coast Conference teams would be intriguing even if they had been held in the Georgia Dome, which served as the home of the Falcons from 1992 until their run to Super Bowl LI this past January. The Georgia Dome also housed the SEC title game from 1994 to last year and began hosting big opening-weekend games for college football in 2008, so it had become a busy and familiar facility.