Blue Devils to face Aggies in Chick-fil-A Bowl

Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports Network
Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports Network

DURHAM, N.C. – The 22nd-ranked Duke Blue Devils will face the 20th-ranked Texas A&M Aggies on New Year’s Eve when both teams will meet for the first time ever and make their first appearances in the 46th annual Chick-fil-A Bowl that will be played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Ga.

The announcement was made by bowl officials who extended the invitations to each team’s athletic director and head coach in a teleconference on Sunday night, setting up the 22nd consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) vs. Southeastern Conference (SEC) rivalry game.

The ACC currently leads the SEC, holding an 11-10 win margin since the two conferences began meeting for regional bragging rights in the Chick-fil-A Bowl in 1992.

This year’s game will mark the final ACC vs. SEC matchup in its current format before the Chick-fil-A Bowl joins the College Football Playoff next season.

Duke (10-3, 6-2 ACC) will come into the game winners in eight of its last nine games, while Texas A&M (8-4, 4-4 SEC) will present one of the nation’s premier offenses led by 2012 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel.

Led by 2013 Walter Camp Foundation National Coach of the Year and ACC Coach of the Year David Cutcliffe, the Blue Devils will play in consecutive bowl games for the first time in school history.

“We’re obviously thrilled to be selected to play in the Chick-fil-A Bowl, which continues to have a great partnership with the Atlantic Coast Conference, and to have the opportunity to play against a terrific Texas A&M squad,” Cutcliffe said.

“The Chick-fil-A Bowl has long been considered one of the top-tier and most prestigious bowls across the college football landscape and Atlanta is without a doubt one of the college football’s premier cities. I’m extremely excited for our seniors, who will finish their careers as the first group in Duke history to play in back-to-back bowl games.  As I’ve said before, we’ve had the finest leadership from our players in my 33 seasons of coaching at the collegiate level. After our exam schedule this week, we look forward to getting back to the practice field in preparation for what I anticipate to be a great game on New Year’s Eve in Atlanta.”

Cutcliffe is no stranger to the game, having twice coached previously in the Chick-fil-A Bowl, then known as the Peach Bowl, as an assistant with the University of Tennessee.

As a head coach, Cutcliffe holds a 4-2 all-time record in bowl games, and will participate in the 24th bowl game of his coaching career.

With an all-time record of 3-6, the Duke program will make its 10th bowl game appearance.

The Blue Devils also have previously appeared in the Rose Bowl (1938 & 1941), Sugar Bowl (1944), Orange Bowl (1954 & 1957), Cotton Bowl (1960), All American Bowl (1989) and Belk Bowl (2012).

Even though tickets for the game have been sold out since early November, Duke has its allotment of tickets available for fans to purchase at GoDuke.com.