Alabama
Washington
Alabama to Play Washington in College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
12/4/2016 11:58:00 AM | Football
Crimson Tide and Huskies face off in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on Saturday, December 31
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide will face off with the No. 4 Washington Huskies in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Ga., on Saturday, Dec. 31.
"We are excited to be returning to Atlanta for the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and the College Football Playoffs," UA head coach Nick Saban said. "The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl is a first-class event run by a first-class organization. Our team and our fans have enjoyed several trips to Atlanta over the years, and the city has always been a great host. We are looking forward to playing there once again."
The Crimson Tide and Huskies have met four times previously, with the most recent contest coming in the 1986 Sun Bowl when the Crimson Tide defeated the Huskies, 28-6, to cap off a 9-3 season.
"Washington has a very good football team and we are looking forward to the challenge," Saban said. "They have some outstanding players on offense – great skill players, a great quarterback, very good offensive line and they play tremendous defense."
The winner of the matchup between the Crimson Tide and the Huskies will meet the winner of the game matching the No. 2 Clemson Tigers and the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes, who will play in the other CFP Semifinal Game at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Ariz. The 2017 CFP National Championship Game is scheduled for Monday, January 9, 2017, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.
Alabama, making its 65th appearance in a postseason game, has played in more bowl games and earned more postseason victories than any school in college football history. Alabama is making a postseason appearance for the 10th consecutive season under head coach Nick Saban and the 13th straight season overall for the school.
Saban is 7-3 in postseason games at Alabama, earning wins over Clemson (2016 CFP National Championship Game), Michigan State (2016 CFP Semifinal Game at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic), Notre Dame (2013 BCS National Championship Game at the Orange Bowl), LSU (2012 BCS National Championship Game at the Sugar Bowl), Michigan State (2011 Capital One Bowl), Texas (2010 BCS National Championship at the Rose Bowl) and Colorado (2007 Independence Bowl). The Tide's losses have all come in the Sugar Bowl, losing to Utah in 2009, Oklahoma in 2014 and, most recently, Ohio State in 2015.
Since its inception in 2014, Alabama is the only team to appear in all three of the College Football Playoff final fours and has appeared in the top five of every poll put out by the selection committee over the past three seasons.
Get all the latest information on the team by following @AlabamaFTBL on Twitter and Facebook and AlabamaFBL on Instagram. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.
