Georgia State will play Tennessee in college football

Georgia State will get its first taste of Rocky Top in 2012.

That’s right, the Panthers will play at Tennessee in college football in 2012.

The game will be played Sept. 8 and Georgia State will receive $500,000. The Panthers received more than $425,000 for their trip to play Alabama in 2010.

The game will be another in a challenging schedule for GSU. The Panthers will begin CAA play in 2012 as well.

The Volunteers will play N.C. State in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff game at the Georgia Dome to open the 2012 season, and will face the Bulldogs later in the season.

– Doug Roberson, AJC. Follow me on twitter @ajcgsu

80 comments Add your comment

GSUAlumBaseball81

September 13th, 2011
10:03 pm

As for the CAA and FCS we are happy to play there for a few years. Given that we are in a major market like the ATL and 100,000 plus alums in Metro ATL and 30,000 plus current students we will not be there for long. Once our new athletic facilities are built and the massive Alumi base begins to support the programs our University will continue to attract the coaches and athletes to take us to the next level. We are well on the way in our second year of playing football. W/L records in the early years will not matter! Check out our 2012 verbal commitments. Thank you CBC for being the Father and Founder of GSU football! Who really cares about football in the New England area anyway! Pennsylvania has put out some GREAT historical QBs and players but now the South and West rule the pigskin. Check the recent records! GO GSU PANTHERS!!! Time will tell the story!

Getreal

September 14th, 2011
12:43 am

You draw 11k for ODU and 8k were free tickets and this is suppose to fix the problem? U gave up 300 yards rushing to ODU, Tenn will rush for 750. This is a lose lose for GSU. Good grief.

AgentOrange

September 14th, 2011
2:04 am

Says the the twelve year old who abbreviates “you.” Go update your Facebook status and figure out what Justin Bieber is up to.

takerjw

September 14th, 2011
5:39 am

Curry may not be the AD but he is the one that scheduled Bama last year and is on record saying that he does not want to play Southern right now. Think about recruiting if Ga st plays Southern before they are able to compete and get beat soundly then it has a effect on recruiting. I am just stating facts, Southern destroyed CAA Champs W&M last year in the playoffs and Ga st can’t compete against the Ca’s 4th or 5th best team. Give it time and the games will happen.

PantherMan

September 14th, 2011
7:24 am

@takerjw two words, Blue Hens…….

Doug Roberson

September 14th, 2011
7:46 am

I don’t think Curry is afraid of competition. He said GSU hasn’t scheduled GSU because of the CAA schedule. Adding another FCS-level school to a schedule starting in 2012 doesn’t make a lot of sense. It’s something few FCS teams with playoff aspirations do. They usually prefer to play one FBS level school, which includes a check, and one lower-tiered FCS school or a DII school.

Doug Roberson

September 14th, 2011
7:47 am

Dude, the team fell behind so they didn’t run the ball a lot. Russell didn’t have a good start. He dropped a pass and a handoff. Plus, Evans was running well.

OC John Bond took some of the blame, saying they were too aggressive on first down against ODU. The gamble seldom paid off, which put them in another passing situation on second down. I don’t have to recite the stats to show that didn’t work well either.

StephenGSU

September 14th, 2011
8:16 am

Doug, it is possible to play FCS teams and make the playoffs. Take Georgia Southern for example- they made the playoffs last year and played an FBS team and 2 FCS out of conference games. A Georgia State/Georgia Southern matchup would be possible but at this point I don’t think Coach Curry wants to- and I’m okay with that.

Doug Roberson

September 14th, 2011
8:20 am

I didn’t say it wasn’t possible. I simply said what Curry said about it last week.

StephenGSU

September 14th, 2011
8:35 am

Understood- although I just think he doesn’t want to play top 25 FCS teams now that we’re playoff eligible beginning next year, especially since we’ll be facing plents of top 25 opponents in the CAA. Why take a loss when you could just play an FBS team and get a loss and a paycheck?

GSUtimes2

September 14th, 2011
9:12 am

@StephenGSU. Exactly, we’d rather take a paycheck right now being a start up. For the record, it doesn’t make sense on both sides for GSU to play Southern. If Southern won, it wouldn’t really advance their program any. However, if GSU played Southern to a close game or beat them, that could be really bad for Southern’s recruiting. This is going to be a great rivalry eventually. Both fans want it, but for now, it just doesn’t make sense.

Can’t wait for GSU to play Tennessee!! I think this is a good step for our program.

GState08

September 14th, 2011
9:30 am

You guys are forgetting that Jax State and SC State are both top 25 FCS teams. We are playing both of them this year. Georgia State and Georgia Southern both know that this game would be great for the fans. However, the coaches from both programs also know there would be some risk by scheduling the game. I’m just ready for it to happen.

PantherMan

September 14th, 2011
9:34 am

If I’m not mistaken Curry repeatedly said out offense was going to “pick up the pace” this year. I saw ODU run the no huddle and dominate us with it, however I have not really seen anything notibly different on our end….what gives?

PantherMan

September 14th, 2011
9:34 am

If I’m not mistaken Curry repeatedly said our offense was going to “pick up the pace” this year. I saw ODU run the no huddle and dominate us with it, however I have not really seen anything notibly different on our end….what gives?

GSUGrad06

September 14th, 2011
9:36 am

@ EAGLES #1 – “Georgia State is the only school in America that puts their band behind the home bench from 40 to 40 yard line to make up for the lack of fans.”

Wow, you guys are really reaching deep now aren’t you. Where did you hear this from? Another rumor started by yet another insecure Southern fan? The band sits in the endzone corner next to the student section. If you’re going to knock us, at least use facts.

StephenGSU

September 14th, 2011
9:38 am

@GState08…this year is a completely different story. Since we can’t make the playoffs, why not schedule top 25 FCS teams. It’s not like it will keep us from getting into the postseason.

GState08

September 14th, 2011
10:41 am

@StephenGSU: Good point. Either way our team has to man up big time. The teams we will play won’t be cupcakes.

GStateBen

September 14th, 2011
12:38 pm

Thanks Doug for straightening out the moron faction!

Georgia Southern has as little interest in playing us as we do them. It made sense when we were an FCS Independent (aka 2011). It make no sense in 2012 because of 8 conference CAA games, 1 FBS game and at least one additional home game (likely vs. lower tier FCS or Division II team).

For those Southern trolls, you opened your season by struggling mightily with a lower tier OVC team in Samford and were up 24-21 vs. an average Division II team at home. Check your own house before tearing someone else’s down.

StephenGSU

September 14th, 2011
2:55 pm

Ben, enough with the attacks on Georgia Southern fans, it’s getting old. Samford isn’t an OVC team- they’re in the SoCon and it was a conference game for them. Georgia Southern is the #1 team in the nation, I’m not a fan of theirs but give them what they deserve.

We play 11 games- 8 conference games, 1 FBS, 1 D2 and another FCS game. We could schedule Georgia Southern but why take that chance? We’ll get there eventually.

takerjw

September 14th, 2011
10:14 pm

@pantherman Ga southern won its first of six national titles in its second year. How did that game with naia lambuth turn out last year. Ga southern did lose to del in the semi finals of the playoffs but have never lost to a naia level school.

STATEment

September 15th, 2011
11:49 am

Just sent a text to all of my tailgating crew! Making plans for the trip already! I have heard the rumor of Florida in 2013 and again in 2014. Play with the older boys and before you know it you will start playing like one yourself! Big East and C-USA where are the invites to the party?!?!

PantherFan

September 15th, 2011
12:37 pm

There is no chance we play Florida in 2013- already scheduled to play Georgia Southern.

GSU Alum 06

September 16th, 2011
5:31 am

Challenge to the Southern Posters: You guys are so awesome, why not post all of this amazing commentary in the Macon Telegraph where people care? The fact that you keep coming to our blog to post makes it seem like you are nervous about the future.

Why else would trash talking a team that is not even eligible for the playoffs be worth the time of the number 1 ranked GSou Eagles?

Macon Telegraph

September 16th, 2011
7:53 am

Why go look at the Macon Telegraph when you could just look here?

http://www.ajc.com/sports/state-colleges-notes-georgia-1182156.html

Pride

September 16th, 2011
9:12 am

Real GSU – Southern is just to small of a school for State to play. You have a student body of 18K. That is tiny, but the state needs people who major in Agriculture just like they need people with MBA’s. Oh well I will go back to my office now and you just get right back on your tractor. I am surprised that Southern students can use the internet though.

Pride

September 16th, 2011
9:18 am

Truthfully as a State fan I think we should earn the right to play Southern in the FCS playoffs/championship instead of adding it to our schedule. Southern gets to the playoffs each year and if State makes it there as well, then we will have earned the right to play Southern.

Pride

September 16th, 2011
9:27 am

If Southern has such a great program and all the coveted championships then why aren’t you a FBS school? What’s the goal of Southern to remain a FCS program forever? Why haven’t you made the jump? So every time you brag and boast about your prestigious record what you really saying is we are the greatest sandbagging football program in the US that is to afraid to jump to the FBS.

GSUEagles

September 16th, 2011
9:39 am

Wow- Pride is completely off his rocker.

Georgia Southern has conducted a feasibility study to look to move to the FBS. It requires lots of additional revenue that we don’t have at this time. Will we ever be FBS? Probably. Saying that Georgia Southern is ‘too small a school’ for Georgia State to play makes no sense. There are FBS schools with enrollments around 10,000 students. Georgia Southern has about 20,000 students enrolled but that has no affect on how good their football team is. Georgia Southern doesn’t offer an agriculture degree, not sure where you got that from. We do however offer great masters and doctorate programs if you’re interested.

GSU vs GSU

September 16th, 2011
10:45 pm

I studies my undergrad at Georgia Southern and I’m now a grad student at Georgia State so I believe I might be the only unbiased opinion on this blog.

I’ll start with saying that we (Georgia State) need to focus on beating teams like Old Dominion before we start putting Georgia Southern into the conversation.

Moving from the FCS to the FBS is not about how good your team is, it’s all about money. That is the ONLY reason why Georgia Southern right now can’t make the move. With enroll rising at a staggering rate (almost 21,000) I see Georgia Southern making the move within 5 years.

I really hate this debate because neither teams fan’s give each other the respect each team deserves. Georgia Southern fan’s should stop talking down to Georgia State because we are a new program, and Panther fan’s need to understand the fact we wont be able to beat Southern for a while and just accept the fact and focus on the terrible teams that are beating us now.

LINDA BUNTON

September 20th, 2011
10:48 am

I am trying to schedule a wedding in Oct of 2012. Is there ANYONE who can make an educated guess as to who we will play in Oct 2012? Away or Home?
HELP!!!!!!