The Sugar Bowl is heading to the Georgia Dome on Jan. 2, ESPN has confirmed.
The game was forced out of New Orleans for the first time because of Hurricane
Katrina.
The official announcement is expected Friday morning.
Despite the Sugar Bowl's hopes that the game could be played in Baton Rouge, Louisiana's capital does not have enough hotel rooms to accommodate the
tens of thousands of people the game attracts. Sugar Bowl officials
were hoping New Orleans could provide the space needed, but
recovery efforts have not moved fast enough to make that possible.
The Superdome has hosted the Sugar Bowl since 1975. Before that,
it was played at Tulane Stadium, starting in 1935.
Atlanta had already given Sugar Bowl officials the OK to use the
Georgia Dome, which hosts the Southeastern Conference championship
game in December.
The SEC has a long relationship with the Sugar Bowl, having sent
its champion there for decades.
The Peach Bowl will be played in the Georgia Dome on Dec. 30,
and the Falcons have an NFL game scheduled there Sunday, Jan. 1,
but Atlanta officials have said they can accommodate all three
games.
Sugar Bowl officials stressed last month that the move is
temporary and they expect to have the game back in New Orleans next
season.
One of four Bowl Championship Series games along with the Rose,
Orange and Fiesta bowls, the Sugar Bowl is slated to host the
national championship game after the 2007 season.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.