SEC, CBS come to terms

Why would they? Why is it the SEC's fault that there are scads of decent programs within a few hundred miles? Georgia played Clemson annually for years. It plays Georgia Tech every year. It played South Carolina every year before the Gamecocks joined the SEC.

What the fuck does going to Pitt or Washington State prove? What difference does it make whether Georgia travels two hours on a plane to Pittsburgh or two hours on a bus to Clemson, where, by the way, the environment is far tougher than it is at Pitt or Washington State.

Since the schedule expanded to 12 games, Georgia has added a marquee opponent in each of those years, and there's at least one on the schedule every year until 2016. Next year, three of their four non-conference games will be against BCS conference schools. I know Georgia Tech doesn't count in your mind, though, so I guess really there's only two.

EDIT: How is Georgia going to go up north in early November? That's right in the middle of the conference schedule. Where would you like to slot that game between this year's four-week run of LSU away, Florida in Jacksonville, Kentucky away and Auburn away? That seems fairly challenging to me, but I guess you're right. At Iowa State would be much tougher.

In most years, the first week of November for Georgia is between the Florida and Auburn games. Michigan doesn't seem to leave that patch open at all, but somehow Florida/Auburn, with a max of one game at home, doesn't seem to stack up to this year's Purdue/Minnesota/Northwestern trio for Michigan. Call me crazy, but I think Georgia could beat any of those three if the temperature happened to be 45 degrees.

And for that matter, it's not as though November in the South is always tropical. I remember consecutive Georgia home games in 2000 that were played in about 40 degrees and rain. The Iron Bowl a few years ago was played in sleet.

 

Who is broadcasting Great West games?

 

Another example: Let's take Ohio State (I would use Michigan, but I can't find their future opponents anywhere, except a rotating series against Eastern and Western Michigan.) Ohio State appears to have one marquee non-conference opponent a season for the next decade. I'd remind you that Georgia plays one <b> every year </b>, although how marquee Georgia Tech is is debatable.

The next two years, it's USC. Commendable. I'd love to play USC, but I'm guessing a bunch of other schools would too, and even USC can't play 19 games a year. The other three this year are Youngstown St., Ohio and Troy. Admirable that Ohio State is finally playing the other Ohio programs; Georgia's been doing that forever, and Georgia Tech is better than the Ohio programs. Michigan's doing the same thing, but, you know, same argument.

Next year's are USC, Toledo and New Mexico State. In 2010, it's Miami, Marshall and Eastern Michigan.

In 2011, they return the Miami game. 2012 and 2013 are Cal; the next two years are Va. Tech; then it's Oklahoma and Tennessee.

Notice something about three of the six programs? They're in the SEC or ACC, conferences that Georgia plays a significant number of games against all the time. Eight (or nine, God willing) in the SEC, at least one and quite often two in the ACC.

As for Michigan State? Well, maybe they could have lined up a game against an SEC squad, but in 2009, it would mean giving up one of their anticipated showdowns against Montana State, Central Michigan or Western Michigan. I know, I know. Notre Dame. To which I say Georgia Tech.

But, hey. In 2010, Michigan State will indeed venture into the Sunshine State! Huzzah and kudos! Salutations to you, Spartans. Oh wait. It's to play Florida Atlantic.

Maybe Georgia could have played Wisconsin in 2009. Oh wait, no. That schedule's already full. UCF, Fresno State, at Northern Illinois (really? AT Northern Illinois?) and at Hawaii.

Maybe Purdue in 2010? Damn. No. Three straight weeks of home games against Western Illinois, Ball State and Toledo.

Hell, maybe Northwestern. I mean, they're not worth a damn, but at least it's up north. Wait, no. 2009 is full already. Miami of Ohio, Towson (!), Syracuse and Eastern Michigan. 2010? Vanderbilt, Rice and Illinois State. 2011? Boston College (hey, a good team ... but in the ACC, which Georgia plays at least a game against every year), Army and Rice.

Maybe Indiana? They suck, but it's cold there! Nope. 2010 schedule has Central Michigan, Akron, Towson (again!) and Western (at least we'll be D-IA!) Kentucky.

Penn State? Hey, they play an annual in-state rival too! How exciting! What's that? It's not Pitt? It's Temple? Oh. So, 2009, Penn State? No? Busy against Syracuse, Temple, Eastern Illinois and Eastern Michigan? 2010? What? You're already playing Alabama? But SEC schools don't go up north! What's this? Maybe you'd like to play two marquee non-conference games, like Georgia and Florida and South Carolina do <b> anytime they play one</b>? No? You'd rather play Youngstown State, Kent State and Temple again? That's OK.

 

Well huzzah. It appears we're off and running.

 

deskslave is dropping mad skillz on the haterz. Props.

 

For starters, I wasn't challenging Georgia to come up North in the fall. I was making a general point about football played in different comfort zones. If reading was a requirement in Athens, you would have noticed I also mentioned teams from the North going South in late August and early September and teams from sea level playing at altitude. The revisiting is important here because your myopic Red and Black thin-skinned view of the world didn't reflect the whole statement.
No one has ever accused Wisconsin -- and that includes the most fervent Big Ten backer -- of playing anything but a buttery soft schedule. It's why the Badgers are labeled frauds and those leading the charge are usually the Big Ten media. Same goes for Iowa.
And if you're going to rip Big Ten schools, which seem to be the only ones you mention here, the scheduling of MAC schools also litter the schedules of georgia, Florida, Nebraska and others. Other conferences have soft schedules -- but you chose to make the Big Ten the example, reenforcing the Mike Slime-sized chip on your shoulder that SEC bashers like to use as Exhibit A why its supporters are thin-skinned whiners.
Years ago, Ohio State started playing the in-state DI schools on a rotating basis. Great move on its part; I wish Alabama and Auburn would do it with Troy and UAB, but their athletic departments are afraid of the negative PR if they got beat.
Not going to deny every school needs money games -- both large and small to prop up or pay for its program, depending on which side of the beating you're taking. And not going to deny that many schools -- including several in the Big Ten -- schedule soft because A) they suck and B) are hoping for enough wins for a bowl to prop up anemic programs.
That isn't and shouldn;t be the case with yer Dawgs. If you're going to be a National Power, at some point during the season, you want to play a marquee team from another part of the nation -- occasionally. At least play a team from a marquee conference from a different part of the country. Props to Richt for sacking up this year and making that move. Hope he does it every year; maybe it will lead more schools -- not just those in the SEC -- to do the same.
In this case, I'm talking about ALL teams that have title hopes. I dont care how tough the home conference is, littering a schedule with Tulane, Western Carolina, Western Michigan and Furman should hurt teams' credibility. Michigan might get its ass kicked by Utah like it did Oregon, but it's at least playing them. Its three-game set with Colorado in the 90s were the makings of a great-intersectional rivalry. What makes college football so great is that opportunity; what hurts college football is that the powerhouse schools that should be playing more of those games are too scared that it hurts their national championship hopes so they load up on cupcakes (See: Wisconsin, Penn State, Texas -- although it is playing a game at UTEP) Oklahoma's playing at Washington, a team that isn't what it used to be, but it's on the road. Cal's playing Michigan State at home and Maryland on the road.
As for Georgia, you pissy little fan boy, you can throw the schedules of every DI team out all you want. You can dress up in your red and black jammies after you finish eating your Frosted Flakes from your Dawg Bowl with matching spoon, and furiously sniffle that "yeah, yeah, yeah, well Georgia Tech is a quality opponent" all you want (Conveniently forgetting that its last seven bowl have been the Seattle Bowl, Silicon Valley Classic, Humanitarian Bowl, Champs Sports Classic, Emerald Bowl, Gator Bowl -- finally -- and Humanitarian Bowl, again).
It doesn't change fact that for 40 years, the school COULD have played outside the confort zone of the South and chose not to. So when Your Dawgs are stuck with the reputation of not challenging teams on a national level outside the South, it's a reputation of their own making and will stay that way well into that 2016 season you look for with gooey-eyed longing.

 

Mississippi State plays at Ga. Tech this season, but what I'd love to see (and have written column after column) is MSU play Southern Miss at least once every four or six years.
State and Southern had a wonderfully competitive series from 1960s to 1991 in which games were sold out and they split right down the middle. (As did Southern and Ole Miss)
Now that Southern Miss is in an amply-legit conference, the game would be even more attractive.
State supporters cry out that "a loss to USM would hinder recruiting" but I think recruits could be swayed to go to either school simply by knowing the game was on the sked.

As far as cupcakes, every school schedules them.
Maybe Damon Evans will go against the old Dooley mindset and line up more attractive non-conference games at UGa.
I don't put too much thought into cupcakes.
They are always going to be out there, itching to earn money and get on the Big Boys' skeds.

 

Major conference schools should play one non-conference game against a major conference school from another part of the country and one against an DI in-state school not in its conference (North Dakota State can keep scheduling Minnesota as its patsy in lieu of an instate DI patsy). The rest of the games? Schedule high schools, if you want, but make an effort on the other two.

 

How many times in the last 30 years has UF ventured west of Arkansas?

 

The last non-conference game outside of Gainesville (that didn't involve Florida State or Miami) was at Syracuse in 1991, a 38-21 loss.
Florida also played at Memphis State in 1989, Rutgers in 1986, Southern Cal in 1983 and Houston in 1979.

 

I really don't get why we keep having this argument.

I've always thought (and been told) teams scheduled road nonconference games primarily for recruiting. You go play where you want to recruit. And about 95% of teams do about 95% of their recruiting within about a two- or three-state radius.

We'll consider South Carolina, since that's the team I know the most about. In the last few years they've played (or scheduled) roadies with Clemson (yearly rivalry game), North Carolina and N.C. State.

They hit their recruiting base of SC, Ga. and Fla. pretty hard in conference and then go after N.C. and Va. out-of-conference. To go way the fuck out west is only going to 1) cost money and 2) be a waste of a recruting opportunity. And it would be a waste because it's a hell of a lot easier to follow up in-person when you're recruiting a kid a state or two away than across the country.

Would it be nice if everyone scheduled games across the country. Yeah. Is it practical for anyone other than the biggest and most well-known teams? I don't think so.

 

I disagree. You don't have to go way out west. But every year, or at least every two, you need to schedule some kind of intersectional game with a power team or at least from a power conference if you want to stand up to national scrutiny.
If South Carolina played a home and home with Pitt, Syracuse, Indiana, Northwestern, Iowa State or a team along those lines, would it be so bad? Would fans get excited because there's a "name" on the schedule (yeah, I know. Indiana)? Would recruits be more excited about the possibility of going there because they'll get the chance to stack up to another part of the country in what could turn out to be a TV game?
I think so.
And it isn't just bashing SEC schools. It's any school that wants to be considered a national power. Step up and show what you have away from your comfort zone or home against top 25... It doesnt matter if it's the SEC or Big 10, 12 or East.
But they don't want to lose the revenue from a guaranteed sellout against a patsy and they don't want to see their national title hopes destroyed by Columbus Day.