2007 Chick-fil-A Bowl
Encyclopedia
The 2007 Chick-fil-A Bowl was an edition of the Chick-fil-A Bowl
, formerly known as the Peach Bowl and the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. It pitted the Auburn Tigers
against the Clemson Tigers
in a postseason American college football
game in Atlanta, Georgia
. Auburn University represented the Southeastern Conference
(SEC) and Clemson University represented the Atlantic Coast Conference
(ACC) in the competition. The game was the final competition of the 2007 football season
for each team. In exchange for the right to pick the first ACC team after the Bowl Championship Series
selections, bowl representatives paid $3.25 million to the ACC, while the SEC, whose fifth team was selected, received $2.4 million. The combined $5.65 million payout is the seventh-largest among all college football bowl games, and the fourth-largest non-BCS bowl game payout.
made their selection. According to the official selection rules still used today, the team chosen to represent the ACC must be within one conference victory of the remaining, highest-ranked conference team or be ranked more than five spaces ahead of the ACC team with the best Conference record available in the final BCS Standings.
In choosing the SEC opponent, the Chick-fil-A Bowl selection committee had the right to select the first SEC school after the Bowl Championship Series, Cotton Bowl Classic, Capital One Bowl
, and Outback Bowl
made their selections. Just as in the ACC, the selection committee could not select an SEC team with two fewer losses than the highest available team. The bowl earned the right to select these teams via its multi-million-dollar payout system, which guarantees a certain amount of money to the participating conferences. Prior to 2006, the Chick-fil-A Bowl (then known as the Peach Bowl) matched the No. 5 team in the SEC versus the No. 3 team in the ACC. After the bowl increased its payout to $2.8 million per squad, it then was given the second pick from the ACC, with the Gator Bowl dropping to third.
Leeman Bennett
, the former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons
and Tampa Bay Buccaneers
, served as chairman of the selection committee, which had the task of picking the best teams from those made available by the selection criteria set by the two conferences. The committee would have approximately one month to select the two teams that would attract the most people to the game and generate the largest possible television audience. Supervising the selection committee was the Chick-fil-A Bowl Executive Committee, which consisted of representatives from various Atlanta businesses and the Chick-fil-A
corporation.
. A few hours later, Auburn was selected as the second half of the matchup. Two days after the selections were announced, the game was declared sold out, the 11th consecutive sellout in the combined history of the Peach and Chick-fil-A Bowls. Clemson was allocated 17,500 tickets for distribution and Auburn was allocated 15,700
Casinos and betting organizations favor Clemson by 2½-3 points when setting their point spread.
Heading into the game, Auburn was ranked sixth in scoring defense, allowing an average of just 16.7 points per game, and eighth in total defense, giving up only 298.33 yards per game. Clemson was ranked sixth in total defense, giving up only 297.08 yards per game, and tenth in scoring defense, allowing an average of just 18.3 points per game.
broadcasted the game for the 12th straight year. Following the game, ESPN broadcast a New Year's Eve
special, New Year No Limits
, which featured action sports athletes in record setting attempts.
The preview show, "The 2007 Chick-fil-A Bowl Preview Show, presented by Russell Athletic" aired on ESPN2, ESPNU, and ESPN Classic, and was produced by Seals Communications Corporation in Atlanta. It was hosted by Lee Corso and Erin Andrews, along with reporters David Hamilton and Nikky Williams.
Chick-fil-A Bowl
The Chick-fil-A Bowl, formerly called the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, and before that simply called the Peach Bowl, is an annual college football bowl game played in Atlanta, Georgia since December 1968. The first three Peach Bowls were played at Grant Field on the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta....
, formerly known as the Peach Bowl and the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. It pitted the Auburn Tigers
2007 Auburn Tigers football team
The 2007 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University during the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Head coach Tommy Tuberville returned for his ninth season at Auburn, the third longest tenure among SEC head coaches in 2007. He was joined by returning offensive coordinator Al...
against the Clemson Tigers
Clemson Tigers football
The Clemson Tigers football team is an American football team from Clemson University in South Carolina. It competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
in a postseason American college football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
game in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
. Auburn University represented the Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
(SEC) and Clemson University represented the Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
(ACC) in the competition. The game was the final competition of the 2007 football season
2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on August 30, 2007, progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in New Orleans, Louisiana on January 7, 2008, where the top...
for each team. In exchange for the right to pick the first ACC team after the Bowl Championship Series
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
selections, bowl representatives paid $3.25 million to the ACC, while the SEC, whose fifth team was selected, received $2.4 million. The combined $5.65 million payout is the seventh-largest among all college football bowl games, and the fourth-largest non-BCS bowl game payout.
Selection process
Beginning with the 2006 game, the Chick-fil-A Bowl had purchased the right to select the highest-ranked Atlantic Coast Conference team after representatives from the Bowl Championship SeriesBowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
made their selection. According to the official selection rules still used today, the team chosen to represent the ACC must be within one conference victory of the remaining, highest-ranked conference team or be ranked more than five spaces ahead of the ACC team with the best Conference record available in the final BCS Standings.
In choosing the SEC opponent, the Chick-fil-A Bowl selection committee had the right to select the first SEC school after the Bowl Championship Series, Cotton Bowl Classic, Capital One Bowl
Capital One Bowl
The Capital One Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played in Orlando, Florida at the Citrus Bowl, and previously known as the Tangerine Bowl and the Florida Citrus Bowl...
, and Outback Bowl
Outback Bowl
The Outback Bowl is an annual New Year's Day college football bowl game played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The event was originally called the Hall of Fame Bowl from 1986 to 1994 until being renamed in 1995 for its new title sponsor, Outback Steakhouse...
made their selections. Just as in the ACC, the selection committee could not select an SEC team with two fewer losses than the highest available team. The bowl earned the right to select these teams via its multi-million-dollar payout system, which guarantees a certain amount of money to the participating conferences. Prior to 2006, the Chick-fil-A Bowl (then known as the Peach Bowl) matched the No. 5 team in the SEC versus the No. 3 team in the ACC. After the bowl increased its payout to $2.8 million per squad, it then was given the second pick from the ACC, with the Gator Bowl dropping to third.
Leeman Bennett
Leeman Bennett
Leeman Bennett is a former football coach who served at both the collegiate and professional levels, but is most prominently remembered as head coach of the National Football League's Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers....
, the former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
, served as chairman of the selection committee, which had the task of picking the best teams from those made available by the selection criteria set by the two conferences. The committee would have approximately one month to select the two teams that would attract the most people to the game and generate the largest possible television audience. Supervising the selection committee was the Chick-fil-A Bowl Executive Committee, which consisted of representatives from various Atlanta businesses and the Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A |"fillet"]]) is a quick service restaurant chain headquartered in College Park, Georgia, United States, specializing in chicken entrées and is known for promoting the company founder's claims of Christian values. Long associated with the southern United States, where it has been a...
corporation.
Pre-game buildup
On December 2, 2007, Chick-fil-A Bowl representatives selected Clemson to represent the ACC in the 2007 Chick-fil-A BowlChick-fil-A Bowl
The Chick-fil-A Bowl, formerly called the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, and before that simply called the Peach Bowl, is an annual college football bowl game played in Atlanta, Georgia since December 1968. The first three Peach Bowls were played at Grant Field on the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta....
. A few hours later, Auburn was selected as the second half of the matchup. Two days after the selections were announced, the game was declared sold out, the 11th consecutive sellout in the combined history of the Peach and Chick-fil-A Bowls. Clemson was allocated 17,500 tickets for distribution and Auburn was allocated 15,700
Casinos and betting organizations favor Clemson by 2½-3 points when setting their point spread.
Defensive matchups
Both defenses rank in the top ten, nationally, in both total defense and scoring defense.Heading into the game, Auburn was ranked sixth in scoring defense, allowing an average of just 16.7 points per game, and eighth in total defense, giving up only 298.33 yards per game. Clemson was ranked sixth in total defense, giving up only 297.08 yards per game, and tenth in scoring defense, allowing an average of just 18.3 points per game.
Television coverage
ESPNESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
broadcasted the game for the 12th straight year. Following the game, ESPN broadcast a New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
special, New Year No Limits
New Year No Limits
New Year No Limits is an annual American television special that airs on ESPN since 2007 during the New Year's Eve period . It was created, hosted and sponsored by Red Bull...
, which featured action sports athletes in record setting attempts.
The preview show, "The 2007 Chick-fil-A Bowl Preview Show, presented by Russell Athletic" aired on ESPN2, ESPNU, and ESPN Classic, and was produced by Seals Communications Corporation in Atlanta. It was hosted by Lee Corso and Erin Andrews, along with reporters David Hamilton and Nikky Williams.