Michigan fans react to this post.Despite the rumors swirling around about a potential two game series between UGA and Michigan, we heard earlier this afternoon from a pretty good source that there's nothing to it. Certainly not now anyway. The rumor originated from the Michigan campus newspaper.
Additionally, Bill King the AJC fan blogger debunks the rumor via applying common sense to the situation; although, he made no indication of actually calling the athletic department and asking.
The original rumor had UGA traveling to the Big House in 2010 to open the season. King pointed out that UGA already has a season opener against Louisiana-Lafayette in 2010. However, that's not such a big problem according to the Athens Banner-Herald (05/18/09):
"Georgia would play Louisiana-Lafayette on Sept. 4, 2010 in the season opener, but that might be moved to a November date to accommodate another opponent the Bulldogs might add, [Arthur] Johnson said."
The real issues are these (some Bill outlined and some he didn't):
1. Georgia absolutely will not play a schedule with only five home games. To play a game at Michigan in 2010 (and the series would have to start there due to the UM schedule), UGA would only have 5 home games. For financial and political reasons that will never, ever, ever happen. Nor should it.
2. To avoid having only 5 home games, we would have to cancel the road game at Colorado in 2010 or move it. It would be extremely difficult to move that game given Colorado's schedule. So we'd have to buy the game out. Thereby reducing the financial incentive of playing Michigan in the first place. I would glady swap two games with Michigan for one game with Colorado. Or we could move the UF game out of Jax (kidding).
2. UGA's 2011 schedule is full. We've already moved the App State game once. I guess we could move it again. But we just booked NMSU so I'm doubting that we're about to move that one. That leaves the Louisville game. Pushing the first game in that series (home in 2011) out makes no sense because 2012-2014 is when the schedule turns more difficult with Bama and LSU returning to the rotation. So we'd have to cancel the series likely. Do you think that Georgia is going to pay the cancellation fees to end one game with Colorado and two games with Louisville just to play Michigan? That seems pretty expensive.
3. Michigan has only played three games in the Deep South during the regular season since the Great Depression. Those games include:
Chapel Hill - '65
Duke - '68
S. Carolina - '85
Duke - '68
S. Carolina - '85
In my opinion, they aren't coming down here in September. You can pretty well forget that. Since 1922, Michigan hasn't traveled to the states of Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Missisippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, Virginia, Texas or Oklahoma. During those years, schools from almost all of those states have played games in Ann Arbor without a return trip. Including Georgia (1957 and 1965).
I would be shocked out of my chair if this happened. Thrilled. But shocked.
Brian Cook, leading Michgan blogger, doesn't think it'll happen either; although, some of his details are wrong about UGA's scheduling issues.
PWD
36 comments:
Big 11 teams will never come down to play SEC teams. It would get ugly for the visitors, and fast.
This news is dustier than Dusty Baker leaving the Cubs.
I'll say this much...it doesn't seem likely until you consider what ESPN might pay to make this happen. And, be assured, they'd be willing to pay to make this happen. Throwing around a few million bucks is like me buying you a beer to that crowd in Bristol. Kickoff the season at night, in Ann Arbor, with Ga vs Michigan and ESPN could make that money back via advertising revenue by midway through the first quarter.
But think about the Lafayette Cupcakes! For the love of god!
Yes, thank goodness for the Lafayette Cupcakes....you folks who want to overschedule are out of your mind.
As for other comments...can we please get rid of Bill King and get an AJC blogger who is....oh, competant?
Sure would have been nice.
PWD, do you think with ESPN now having a vested interest in match-ups like this, with the new media deal that is, that they might be playing a part in trying to set match-ups such as these? I pretty much knew there couldn't be much to this rumor when I first heard it today, although I wouldn't be quite shocked if it happened. Truthfully I think playing in Ann Arbor would be more beneficial to us than playing in the Georgia Dome in the "Alabama recruiting drive" classic.
2 things:
1) dawgnotdog nailed it. We're already on the brink of overscheduling, when both LSU and UF have both been able to overcome the "2004 Auburn scheduling stigma" and still win national championships without running an OOC gauntlet. Hey Damon, you know what would make Georgia an even bigger "national brand"? Winning a national title. Stop trying to overthink things.
2) What do we get out of playing Michigan in the regular season? We're likely to meet up with them in a CapOne/Outback bowl in the next decade anyway. Besides, they still owe us a damn return trip.. so if this did come to fruition, I say make them come here first.
Amen Hobnail! Make those jokers come play us in the September heat in Athens...We'll stomp them and send em packing. I the interests of winning a BCS Title though I'd rather push this off and dump the Loiusville series...let ESPN pick up the tab...
This news is older than black, white and red all over, yet when I saw the headline my eyes lit up like the recent South Africans watching the Confederations Cup.
Boehm
It may be that one of the reasons UM didn't travel to Athens back in the late '50s and early '60s is that Georgia and Georgia Tech were not permitted (as a matter of unofficial rule but clearly established public policy) from playing "integrated" teams within the state of Georgia. The Powers that Were in Atlanta didn't like the idea of playing racially diverse teams anywhere but carved out a precedent exception so Tech could accept the invitation to play Pitt in the 1956 Sugar Bowl.
Carry on.
Old news....this story resurfaced today at 11:30 am. It was reported as fact by 790thezone this afternoon, and a variety of beat writers chased it.
I was told by a beat writer here in GA that they didn't think it was real but "sources in Michigan said it was all over the place up there."
That's why I did something about it.
Just because the rumor resurfaces every few years doesn't mean that the latest version of the rumor is old news.
I'd love an indirect opportunity to get back that WVU loss by beating a Michigan Rich Rod team.....I mean it might be a looooooooong time before we play WVU again.
Ha, it would be awesome to get back at Rich Rod (if he makes it to 2010!) but it ain't happening for all the reasons above.
As far as ESPN greasing the wheels -- why? We already play lots of intersectional games, and I'm not sure Michigan is that much better from their perspective than Colorado. Factor in that UGA and Michigan are both Capital One Bowl (ABC) regulars and an early-season match-up might mess up a good January game, and there's no way ESPN gets involved.
I agree with Hobnail there, but I disagree with you about the overscheduling. If you look at Georgia under Richt, we've always done better when opening against a real opponent (counting Boise State as real) than we have when we open against cupcakes. Look it up. Losing to Tennessee or Florida when we shouldn't is what keeps us from winning national titles... not our OOC schedule.
North Carolina is not Deep South so Michigan has only played one game there since the Great Depression.
Normaltown Mike,
I get those all the time. I just delete them and never acknowledge them. Last night and this morning was especially bad.
PWD
Let's go up to Ann Arbor in red britches!
North Carolina isn't deep south? Is that a joke?
I know this probably doesn't happen, but it would be awesome. Just awesome. I think one of the issues with why UGA isn't quite looked at nationally like it probably should be based upon performance over the past 8 years. Certainly finishing in the BCS championship discussion would help and having 'stars' helps. (Stafford, Moreno, and 2007 helped our standing greatly)
However, one of the other reasons is that we haven't played any of the 'elite' teams either during the regular season or during our bowl games. Hawaii, West Va, and FSU were probably the weakest BCS entrants in each respective year. Wisky, Purdue, Michigan State, Boston College....all good to decent programs...none really stand out.
The national media hangs on our games with Florida and LSU...which, as a whole, has provided mixed results. Now you can probably add Bama to that mix.
However, we have no games against teams like Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas, Penn State, Michigan, Notre Dame, USC...the holy grail of college football according to national sportswriters.
While Michigan is failing out of that group, it would still represent a big, big game for the UGA program. I'd rather play Ohio State, but as nice as Colorado, Louisville, Arizona State are....they aren't those mentioned above.
RE our games with BAMA/LSU/FU, I believe Richt has an overall winning record vs those 3 teams. I'm sure IF I'm wrong, someone will correct me.
But yeah, we should play Michigan...JUST AS SOON AS THEY RETURN our trip from '65.
Why would Georgia fans get excited about playing a Michigan team that went 3-9 last season? You'd be beating a team that has been smoked more times than Cheech and Chong, by teams like Toledo and Appalachian State.
Just because it says Michigan on the door doesn't mean you should expect them to be much better than last year. And as for getting back at RichRod, it'd be better served when he fields a capable team, but Pat White and Steve Slaton are long gone.
It's nothing but an easy W for Georgia, much like Colorado, etc.
-offtopic- New Intro for
http://www.markricht.com/
As a season ticket holder, I'd be totally fine with 5 home games for one year. They'd be 5 GOOD games, currently we get 6 with usually 2 scrubs except for '09.
Personally I think the best think we can do for our schedule is to break up the UT Vandy both being either home or away. Hell play Vandy in Nashville 2 yrs in a row, anything to get out of 2 straigh home or away games.
PTC-
Richt is 8-9 against those teams.
2-6 vs. UF
3-2 vs. LSU
3-1 vs. Bama
That thing about having an espn night game at Michigan wouldn't work. Michigan only plays afternoon and evening games.
I'd rather play Stafford and his Lions in Detroit.
I stand corrected...out 6-2 vs LSU in our last 8 with them had me not thinking straight..what's new?
Did YOU call the athletic office to see if it was true?
A. I don't work for the AJC.
B. I had someone do it for me that would get an answer.
Here comes a regular,
Am I the only one who feels ashamed?
I think we kicked you pretty hard this week.
Don't ever get burned-out, we're all just restless and waiting for Stillwater. Go Dawgs and GATA!
Michigan Fan...that idea came to me from the Michigan website. Any chance lights are a part of your new stadium additions?
Yeah, Colorado is such an easy win. I guess 2006 was a mirage? Sheeesh.
Playing at altitude will be FAR more challenging than any worries about Arizona heat was. Some awfully good teams that are not used to playing at altitude have routinely had problems when playing teams in the Rocky Mountain Area.
I would love to play Michigan, but not at cancelling or slipping the CU return game.
Andy +1
PTC Dawg...you probably hadn't even been born before 1965...return trip my bottom! UGA needs to grow up and play a big boy schedule!
Good point about over scheduling. Michigan and Ohio State sure dont over schedule. They have enought trouble with App St. and Ohio U.
Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Delaware State...who needs to play a big boy schedule? Looks like Michigan loaded up in 09 with the Big Boys.
RichRod has made the deal contingent on Coach Martinez being retained in 2010.
"Watch the fake."
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