The Georgia Bulldogs will play the Kentucky Wildcats on Oct. 23, 2010 in Lexington. Moving the game forward to late October brings it back into prime horse racing season at Keeneland. From 1956-2002, Georgia always played Kentucky in late October. Over the decades, many Dawg fans like myself enjoyed the Friday and sometimes Saturday trip to the track. It was one of the best road trips in the SEC.
When the Kentucky game moved to mid-November in '03, we lost the only compelling thing about the UK trip. Without a day at the track, it's just a long drive to a vanilla stadium to typically watch misplaced Big 10 fans sit on their hands while the Dawgs typically beat them. We went 21-4 in Lexington during that '56-'02 stretch.
The other upside of moving the game means that it forces the SEC West rotational opponent games up to September or the first week in October, and it moves a non-conference cupcake game back to November. Essentially, it gives us two bye weeks in November. One off week and one week against a likely Div I-AA team to rest up.
More importantly, the extra November home game will help break up the 4 consecutive SEC road game problem we faced in 2004 and 2008. I'd love a bye week before the Florida game, but it's much more important to not play4 consecutive games away from home.
In 2010, we have open slots on Nov. 6th and the week before the Tech game. One will be filled with a power puff game while the other will be a bye.
When I was confirming that this wasn't a typo in the media guide, I also asked if the move of the UK game to October was permanent. The person I asked didn't know. This could just be a one year thing to help avoid the 4 in a row problem.
Regardless, I'm thankful both for a trip to the track...and that I don't have to do a Starkville to Jacksonville to Lexington to Auburn four game swing next year. That's hell on those of us who actually travel to all the road games.
We'll see what the long term schedule implications later.
PWD
This scheduling development was mentioned on Page 2 of the football media guide; however, it somehow slipped past unnoticed by most of us.
25 comments:
This is a very good development. The Ky trips which include a day at Keeneland are very good trips. Not much without them.
Lexington is an underrated SEC venue and combined with the nuclear-hot a$$ at Keeneland makes for a great weekend.
While I understand the attractiveness of visiting the track in KY while making the trip for football, my experience in Lexington has been anything BUT "vanilla." Check out the story from last year's trip at
http://bubbanearl.blogspot.com/2008/11/lexington-road-trip-for-ages.html
to see what I mean. I will always look forward to the road games in Lexington, regardless of which month the game is played.
Yes! UK is a great trip, and it just got better with this revelation. It'll be a great "Dawg & Pony" show!
Lex is a great trip whether we're playing or not. Great fans.
I'm going to Keeneland on UGAs off weekend this year.
This is awesome... but I don't think it will change my travel plans for the '10 season. I'm saving for the Colorado game and after that week, I don't I'll have the capital (financial or relationship) to throw in Lexington, too.
Especially since the old alma mater has re-started football and I'm meant to go to at least one game in Texas.
That said, I hope this is a permanent change.
Typical Georgia fans. We complain about not having the off week before the Gators, but hey, when its a fun trip, no worries.
If this is a permanent move...both home and away years, we will never get the bye.
But that's OK....there's horse racing, and Jacksonville is fun. To hell with winning titles.
I'd much, much, much, much rather have the off-week prior to Florida.
Make it permenant Damon!
We had a bye week before GT this year. Lot of good it did.
We're NEVER going to have the bye week every year before UF.
And it's INSANE to have 4 consecutive SEC road games. And that's what this avoids.
I agree about the off week before UF, it won't happen all the time.
And yes, I like Keeneland...
Re Titles, in 2 of Richt's years we've had the best SEC team overall. I'm not sure it had anything to do with "OFF" weeks at the right time.
What I can agree with is that it's insane to have 4 SEC road games.
I don't mind not having a bye the week before the Florida game so long as Florida does not have a bye either.
I've never been with a bi, in Florida or Georgia. It seems to happen on tv a lot these days.
Wouldn't it have made more sense to move the Miss State game to September (which we have evidently done and you mentioned this) but leave the KY game where it is? That would put our off week before Florida.
I like fun road trips as much as anyone but our priority should be on championships, not horse racing.
I gotta agree with that. If moving the Miss St game to September was that easy, do that and leave the KY as is. That breaks up the 4 road games in a row AND allows us to take our off week the week before Jacksonville.
P.S. It wasn't going to be exactly like last year and 2004 where we had 4 weeks in a row of road games. Our off week was scheduled to be the week after Jax, making it 4 road games in 5 weeks instead of 4 in 4. We didn't have that off week in either 08 or 04. Still would have sucked though.
I'm excited at this prospect making attending UK even more awesome.
As BFR said, our trip to Lexington was amazing, with the KY fans showing us a great time. They're far more deserving than being characterized "misplaced Big 10" fans.
My guess here is that, b/c conference scheduling is a puzzle with lots of pieces, the SEC made us move our game with Kentucky up to that week if they were going to accommodate us and move the Mississippi State game to September.
I can't imagine our Athletic Department would favor putting the Kentucky game in front of Florida instead of an off week just b/c some of our fans enjoy going to Keeneland. If that is the case, we deserve to have a program that isn't on Florida's level.
The difference between Florida and UGA besides the two NC is that Florida fans are not wrapped up in away games expereince. Most of their games are in the state of Florida so all they are concerned about is winning. But I guess all a second rate fan of a second rate football program has to look forward to is the "away game experience" since your program isn't going to win a SEC Championship or a NC.
Louisville and Churchill Downs is only an hour's drive from Lexington. And Churchill has a lot more personality than Keenland does to me.
Put me down as in favor of a bye before Florida's game. Even if it's only a psychological effect on the team, right now we need anything we can get.
In college football today, teams only get 1 off week most years (there are occasional years where there are 2 depending on how the calendar falls).
It makes the most sense to try to put that off week before the Florida game. That week comes after playing for 7 straight weeks and gives us time to prepare for our strongest opponent, as well as the 4 opponents that follow that to take us through the end of the season.
I realize that isn't going to be possible every year. Even so, we should be able to get it either that week or the week before (week 7) just about every year if we work at it.
With a 12 game season, playing 6 or 7 straight games and then taking an off week makes the most sense strategically. Having off weeks in November or the first half of the season doesn't.
LMAO @ random Gator Douche.
Thanks Gator...for telling us we don't ever win SEC Titles....you may need to check the books on that one. And yes, it is nice to go to away games..if you scheduled some OOC instead of the "Blind and Deaf U" for home scrimmages, you would know.
"The difference between Florida and UGA besides the two NC is that Florida fans are not wrapped up in away games expereince"
You are correct as it applies to "Gayta Fans". Also, most gator fans are more concerned with cleaning the John boat in the front yard and applying a water sealant to the concrete block house they live in than they are in readin', rightin' and rithmetic.
That said, I'd be willing to bet that most U of F graduates enjoy traveling to other venues and taking in the ponies or whatever else a town may offer. UF grads might be obnoxious yankees, but they are a cut above the central Florida toothless trash that comrises the core "Gayta Nation"
The Gators lost to Ky in November a couple of times when they about froze (got to go back to the 70s on this), and got the game moved to the beginning of the season.
Spurrier didn't like playing Auburn and Georgia back to back, so he got the conference to split them up.
Our fans miss the horse races, so we get that back and kill any hope of an off week the week before the cocktail party.
Hmmmm...gotta think about what the priorities are?
Absolutely 11:12 AM!
See you all in 2010!
This is the only game I can count on seeing every 2 years, as I live in Lexington.
The first year I moved here was the 62-17 win in 2004. That was the first game I took my oldest daughter to (she was 2 years old. Wow..... hard to believe).
Unfortunately, that was followed by the incredibly disappointing loss in 2006.
But 2008 was solid, and I am hoping 2010 will be more like 2004. :)
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