Sports

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl could be a close game

1. The Peach Bowl has been played in Atlanta since 1968. 2. The game was originally created as a fundraiser for the Lions Club of Georgia. 3. Chick-fil-A, based in nearby College Park, has sponsored it since 1997. 4. It sold out 17 straight games between 1998 and 2013. 5. Auburn will play UCF on Jan. 1, 2018.

By Alex Makrides

Dec 28, 2017

The preconceived notion is the Power Five is better than the Group of Five, and the best Power Five conference is the SEC. So, No. 7 Auburn should handle No. 12 Central Florida easily... right? In the words of College GameDay host Lee Corso, “Not so fast!”

The inaugural bowl game in Mercedes-Benz Stadium pits one of the best offenses in the country against one of the best defenses. Don't count out the Group of Five, they have surprised a lot of people in the last couple years. Plus, UCF is no stranger to winning as double-digit underdogs. Here are five reasons why this New Year's Day matchup will be closer than experts think.

> Also: 5 reasons to watch Peach Bowl

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Alex Makrides

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WNBA

Make it two: Dream’s Rhyne Howard joins Allisha Gray as WNBA All-Star

Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard's scoring is down a bit from the past two years, but her improved all-around game earned her a reserve spot in the WNBA All-Star Game

Dream let one slip away: 3 takeaways from loss Thursday to Seattle Storm

Despite committing 17 turnovers, shooting just 4-of-21 from beyond the arc and missing Rhyne Howard, the Dream still nearly beat Seattle.

Hellen Obiri wins AJC Peachtree Road Race’s women’s elite division

Hellen Obiri won The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race’s women’s elite division Friday with a time of 31:29.

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Make it two: Dream’s Rhyne Howard joins Allisha Gray as WNBA All-Star

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Dream let one slip away: 3 takeaways from loss Thursday to Seattle Storm

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Georgia joins five Southern states to form new accreditation agency

In this edition of the AJC On Campus, Georgia is joining a movement to shake up the accreditation system that has long been the model for American higher education.

14 injured in separate boat explosions on Lake Lanier, Lake Nottely on July 4th

Flames erupted from two boats, one on Lake Lanier and another on Lake Nottely, during the Fourth of July holiday, officials said.

Atlanta leaders eye trails as part of solution to city’s traffic woes

The 535-mile expansion plan, known as Trails ATL, aims to make the city more walkable, bringing 10-minute access to trails for 95% of city residents by 2052.