The League: Conferences clash

Gary Stokan, president of the Atlanta Sports Council and Chick-fil-A Bowl, has a vision: to create the Daytona 500 of college football.

That's what Stokan hopes will become of Saturday's game between No. 24 Alabama and No. 9 Clemson (8 p.m., ABC) at Atlanta's Georgia Dome. The event is being billed as the Chick-fil-A College Kickoff. And while the game's opponents may change, this event is on its way to becoming an annual one.

"We want to create the Daytona 500 of college football," Stokan said. "We're going to do it on an annual basis. We've got a great partner with ESPN. We think we can continue to grow this weekend where it can become something special for college football on an annual basis."

If this weekend's Alabama-Clemson game is any barometer, this soon-to-be annual event will have the feel of a major event. Tickets for the game are going for more than $200 on Stubhub.com. Only tickets for Southern Cal and Ohio State are going for more.

Half the tickets went to Alabama boosters while the other half went to Clemson boosters. Stokan said he could have sold tens of thousands more.

"We could have had a doubleheader with these teams and sold both games out," he said.

The hoopla surrounding the Georgia Dome will include ESPN's Saturday morning Gameday broadcast. The station will also broadcast "College Football Live" program will originate from outside the Georgia Dome today and Friday.

The future looks bright as well. Virginia Tech has also reportedly agreed to play in next year's game, possibly against Alabama. Stokan said the event won't always be an SEC vs. ACC, but will likely include at least one of those conference's teams.

"Our goal is to have the best matchup we can put forward in an annual matchup," Stokan said. "That's not always going to be ACC-SEC, but it makes sense to have one side of the game ACC or SEC."

Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban knows playing in Atlanta is a big advantage for his program if he hopes to tap into the talent-rich state of Georgia.

Saban, whose Tide played Florida State in Jacksonville last year, knows the game has other significance, too.

"We tried to improve our schedule to play one national-type game from an exposure standpoint," Saban said. "Atlanta was strategically located in terms of being in between Clemson and Alabama. It's a great neutral site."

Another key national game involving an SEC team this Labor Day weekend is Tennessee playing at UCLA on Monday night.