AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn will return to Atlanta in 2020 to play North Carolina in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 12.
It will be the third Chick-fil-A Kickoff game played in 2020 as part of a multi-week celebration of college football in Atlanta. West Virginia will play Florida State on Sept. 5, and Georgia will meet Virginia on Monday night, Sept. 7. Broadcast details and kickoff times for all three games will be finalized at a later date.
For Auburn, it will be its fourth appearance in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game. The Tigers lost to Clemson in 2012 but returned to beat Louisville in the 2015 game. They're scheduled to be back this season with a potential top-10 matchup looming against Washington on Saturday, Sept. 1 at 2:30 p.m. CT.
"The Chick-fil-A Kickoff game has established itself as a premier season opener in college football and we look forward to being a part of it again in 2020 against a very good North Carolina program," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. "It's always great to play in Atlanta in front of a big crowd of Auburn fans."
"The notoriety and popularity of Auburn continues to rise, and we are excited to once again be a part of the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game in 2020," added Auburn Director of Athletics Allen Greene. "This nationally televised game puts Auburn front and center of the college football stage. Gary Stokan and his staff do an outstanding job of putting on a first-class event and we look forward to filling Mercedes-Benz Stadium with orange and blue."
This will mark the seventh time Auburn and North Carolina have met on the gridiron and the first in 19 years. The Tar Heels currently hold a 4-2 all-time advantage, including a 16-10 victory in the 2001 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl the last time the two sides met. Auburn's last victory came in 1988 as the Tigers won, 47-21, at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
With the addition of North Carolina to the schedule in 2020, Auburn now has a non-conference Power Five team on the schedule every year through 2024.
In 2019, the Tigers will open the season against Oregon at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, as part of the AdvoCare Classic. They also have a home-and-home scheduled with Penn State for 2021 and 2022 and a home-and-home with Cal set for 2023 and 2024.
Greg Ostendorf is a Senior Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @greg_ostendorf