Penn State, Georgia State possible Tech opponents
When Georgia Tech athletic director Dan Radakovich contracted with BYU for a four-game series (later shortened to two), his intent was to provide season-ticket buyers with a name-brand opponent for the weaker even-year home schedule.
The school’s continuing efforts to schedule attractive opponents could bring Penn State to Bobby Dodd Stadium. Northwestern, Vanderbilt and Purdue are other teams that could be in the mix down the road.
“We’ve had conversations with all of them about trying to do something,” said Ryan Bamford, Tech’s associate athletic director for internal operations.
Nothing is substantive at this point and games would likely be for the end of the decade. Bamford’s greater priority is finding a fourth non-conference game, ideally a home-and-home with an FBS opponent, for 2013 and 2014. As is the case across the ACC, Tech is in the position of hunting for non-conference games because the league reverted to an eight-game league schedule Oct. 3 after adopting a nine-game league schedule in February.
The league expanded the schedule to accommodate the addition of Pittsburgh and Syracuse. The return to eight games was in response to Notre Dame’s contract with the ACC to play five conference opponents annually.
“There aren’t a lot of teams that have openings,” he said of the 2013-14 seasons. “Trying to find the right fit and marriage for us is important.”
The re-formatting of the ACC schedule could well accommodate Tech’s desire to play Clemson at home in even years to balance the schedule. Playing Clemson, Virginia Tech and Georgia at home in odd years has caused season-ticket sales to spike and drop in alternating years. Bamford said the league has told him that it will attempt to grant that wish, which would likely mean the Yellow Jackets would play at Clemson in 2013 for a second year in a row.
Bamford said that “having to go to Clemson twice (in a row) would stink, but when you look at the 12-year landscape, it looks like a pretty good deal.”
Bamford also said that he has had conversations with a team far closer geographically than BYU, or Clemson – Georgia State. With Georgia State moving up to the Sun Belt for the 2013 season, the Panthers could be a 2-for-1 opponent – two games at Tech and one game at the Georgia Dome. Discussions are at a preliminary stage.
“I think it would be a good thing for Tech and a good thing for Georgia State,” Bamford said.
Saturday, when the Jackets play BYU at Bobby Dodd Stadium, the attendance will be augmented by blue-clad Cougars fans from across the Southeast. At the start of the week, more than 12,000 single-game tickets had been sold for Saturday’s game. Besides the Miami game, which also sold in that range, the single-game ticket sales have ranged from 3,000 to 6,000, said Rick Thorpe, Tech’s associate athletic director for sales and fan experience.
Thorpe said he’s heard from sales reps who’ve sold to BYU fans. The ticket department also reached out to local Mormon churches to drive sales. The Cougars, who became an independent in 2011, have traveled to Boston College, Texas, Tulane, Florida State and Mississippi in recent seasons. They played a home-and-home with Tech in 2002-03.
“When they do come, it’s a big deal,” said Kurt Bartlett, a BYU grad in Spring Hill, Tenn. A season-ticket holder before moving from Utah five years ago, Bartlett and his wife will be taking his triplet 12-year-old boys to their first BYU game.
BYU fans will be arriving from Virginia, Texas and closer points within the Southeast.
“Seeing them in person, it just brings back part of your childhood,” said Tony Camara, a Greensboro, N.C., resident and BYU grad who grew up in Provo, Utah, and will root for the Cougars with about 30 friends and family members.
They are no doubt welcomed visitors for Radakovich, whose department’s ticket sales are $600,000 below budgeted figures.
Said Thorpe of BYU’s drawing power, “It’s definitely helped.”
In case you missed it…
Tech notes: Jackets prep for BYU hurry-up
Tech notes: Pocket containment key vs. BYU
Surgery probable for Tech’s Holton
Finch motivated by Tech streaks
Notes: Tech faces age-gap challenge vs. BYU
Notes: Johnson’s concerns about BYU
Notes: Field-goal unit needing repair
Tech vs. highly ranked run defenses
With BYU next, no-huddle issues loom for Tech
Thanks for reading.
Ken Sugiura, Georgia Tech blog
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167 comments Add your comment
fred
October 26th, 2012
8:45 am
Jacket fan – I like it. However, I would like the third OCO to be against a team from another conference. Ex. Oregon, UCLA, Michigan state etc.
GT
October 26th, 2012
8:45 am
Georgia’s whole formula is to get in the best football conference and then get the easiest schedule. You are like royalty without portfolio.
Once again Georgia State plays to our demographics. Big city school touching a lot of people looking for some downtown entertainment, something you can take your kids to with some trust the environment is healthy.
I go all over this state and see Georgia apparel worn by people that obviously didn’t go to Georgia. UGA ain’t your daddy’s Oldsmobile anymore; it is a hard school to get into. The distinction between the football program and the academics are widening all the time. The state needs more academics and most of Tech’s people are going out of state after graduation, UGA has got to carry that load. Football in the city helps remind people why they go to college in the first place.
yellow britches
October 26th, 2012
8:46 am
Bring MIddle Tennessee State back. They can give us a decent game!
razorjacket
October 26th, 2012
8:46 am
We already had to go to VT on consecutive years for a previous scheduling change, so why AGAIN would we have to play on the road in consecutive years, this time to Clemson? Why can’t someone come play at GT two years in a row to balance out the schedules??????
razorjacket
October 26th, 2012
8:54 am
The issue with tOSU is NOT with the accuracy of the name, it is the way people especially emphasize “THE” when referring to the school, and it often comes off as arrogant (of course depending on the messenger). It is just as bad as “The U” by Miami fans, except theirs comes off as “thuggery”, whereas OSU comes off as a “we are better than everyone else” arrogance. That’s the perception.
Also, I expect others outside the GT program perceive our emphasis of “Institute” as similar to the OSU type of arrogance. Similar situation.
razorjacket
October 26th, 2012
8:59 am
S’paw_99 – we would never do a home and home with a 1-AA program. The 2 for 1 concept is only for lower level D-1 programs in Sun Belt or similar conferences.
I don’t like the Ga State option either, except it would be nice to have a de facto home game at the Dome for the one year we do have the “road” game.
5150 UOAD
October 26th, 2012
8:59 am
IF we didn’t ever do the VPI game there 2 years in a row we would have an even schedule already. The ACC screwed us about 8 years ago.
MAKE the ACC FIX this by MAKING VPI or CLEMSON play in Atlanta 2 years in a row.
5150 UOAD
October 26th, 2012
9:04 am
razorjacket….exactly
the Dwags don’t say THE University of Ga. Same for UVa or USC or NCSU,or THE GaState university.
OSU fans and players are just being A..holes with that crap.
I guess Tech fans and players in the NFL(for introductions) should just say We Are THE INSTITUTE. Actually WE are the Only INSTITUTE so we are more Exclusive than the OSU buttheads.
George Stein
October 26th, 2012
9:06 am
This is the second time we are gonna get screwed by the conference. We had to play at VT two years in a row in 2005 and 2006, I think.
Pope UGA XXIII
October 26th, 2012
9:13 am
Love the headline of Georgia State as a possible opponent
to “beef up” Tech’s schedule. The competition might be better
if Tech scheduled Camden County or Lowndes and they might
even bring more fans.
Tech’s problem is attendance and most of the reasons cited
above are relevant, but the reality is that most of the teams that
do draw large crowds are probably not willing to play a team in
a 60000 max stadium. With a ticket price of $ 50 x 20000 less
seats, you are $ 1,000,000 in the hole before the natl anthem.
atl urinal and constipation reader
October 26th, 2012
9:14 am
I’m not convinced that adding State to the schedule will bolster season ticket sales for Tech but I guess it would help a single game attendance figure for State.
juvenal
October 26th, 2012
9:26 am
whatever e$pn thinks makes the best progamming……..
TechB
October 26th, 2012
9:27 am
drop all the patsies and bring in real teams to Tech from big conferences–do a home/home deal to get good teams to come to Atlanta. Georgia state??? please, tell me this is a joke.
juvenal
October 26th, 2012
9:28 am
now they name their mutt pope uga? didn’t realize that many of them had died……
CM
October 26th, 2012
9:31 am
Tech’s most immediate action should be getting a completely new coaching staff and change from the high school style of play. Then they will start attracting better players and be able to compete against quality opponents.
5150 UOAD
October 26th, 2012
9:31 am
juvenal……The WOMAN were screaming that Uga IX should be a Bit.h to celebrate Title IX but the MEN at UGa would have no part of EQUAL RIGHTS for women Dwags!!!!!
5150 UOAD
October 26th, 2012
9:33 am
CM……………can you give some FACTS to backup your assertion?
juvenal
October 26th, 2012
9:34 am
that why they are still not in compliance?
te29wr
October 26th, 2012
9:41 am
Beef up your schedule with GA State They are moving up and are not winning at the present level
but might draw a few as their fans might be looking at an upset with the Tech is playing
Funny now that tHE oHIO sTATE wants to up grade its schedule after it backed of the deal with UGA
juvenal
October 26th, 2012
9:47 am
most folks don’t know it’s harder for females to get in to uga because with a 65% female student body it makes their title 9 rough…….
5150 UOAD
October 26th, 2012
9:47 am
I have 3 kids and I am dressing them as WHO they are for Halloween. My 1st daughter is in a wedding dress because that was the Outfit mom was wearing upon her creation. My 2nd daughter is dressed as Cupid cause Valentines Day was Special to the start of her life. My Son is as a Bottle of Jack Daniel’s wearing a Ga Tech Jersey. He was a SURPRISE like the TECH win against UGa in Athens in 2008.
5150 UOAD
October 26th, 2012
9:50 am
juvenal…..you mean Title IX RUFF? LOL
You sound like dawgs
October 26th, 2012
9:53 am
As an engineering grad from tech and MBA grad from GSU, you Tech fans sound like pricks. Both programs doing well only helps the city, so stop trashing State, a 3-year old football program with terrible leadership so far. Some of you sound as bad as UGA fans. At least an intracity rivalry with GSU would be great for Atlanta. Get over yourselves. Go Jackets AND Panthers!
juvenal
October 26th, 2012
10:00 am
note we didn’t hire him as our AD……..was some guy from GStU who came on time to time saying how they would bury us, stems from that, i guess….like all the folks i know from both GSUs, like to play them more often, good schools……set that one up for you, 5150, well played…….
Tech Guy
October 26th, 2012
10:15 am
ADRad has been scheduling many cupcakes to help PJ’s won/loss record but it hasn’t been enough. Now he wanys to add GSU-another cupcake. Tenn. and Auburn would be great opponebts. Weve had some great games against them, and they would help recruiting.Tech’s recruiting has gone downhill since Gailey was fired.
dwight
October 26th, 2012
10:23 am
GT will upgrade schedule by adding GA State? AJC has inferred GT has a really lousy schedule when adding an almost still FCS team with a 1-6 record is an upgrade fro a FBS major conerence college. If they want upgrade with an in-state school check out the other GSU which is currently #2 in the nation and several of GT coaches used to head coach.
GT
October 26th, 2012
10:26 am
Georgia Southern has an ex Tech coach turn them around, but no need for thanks. They also run our offense, and had our quarterback Shaw running it the first two years.
ColaJacket
October 26th, 2012
10:29 am
Ken, Good to hear you on the radio in Raleigh, NC.
GH
SansWorld
October 26th, 2012
10:30 am
I love OSU fans.
Institute in our name is not the equivalent the way OSU currently uses THE. We don’t go around saying “Georgia INSTITUTE of Technology” or GIT, with emphasis on “INSTITUTE”. We typically call ourselves “Georgia Tech” or GT. I was just joking with a friend about how he should start referring to himself as a graduate of the INSTITUTE, but it was a joke.
I live in Arkansas now, and Arkansas State now refers to themselves at “THE Arkansas State University” Sure they are copying OSU, but they are doing this because they are always in the shadow of the UofA in Fayetteville.
OSU is a national institution, and historically one of the top college football programs ever. Why do they have to adopt this tactic to show up Ohio University?
To the outside observer, this makes OSU fans look myopic and very thin skinned. Not to mention narcissistic.
www
October 26th, 2012
10:30 am
no one cares about northwestern or purdue.
penn state, yes.
georgia state, not really interested but it’s a local team so let’s try it.
my suggestions on home and away series in the next decade:
auburn
tennessee
georgia southern
alabama
south carolina
BYU Fan in FL
October 26th, 2012
10:56 am
I think you guys will be surprised how many BYU fans will be there, they travel really well and are all over because of the religion aspect. Its a good OCO maybe not as good record wise this year but as far as putting fans in the stands BYU almost always sells their tickets and then some. Went to the FSU game a few years ago when BYU got waxed and there was a good contingent of blue and white.
George Stein
October 26th, 2012
10:58 am
According to a tweet just put out by Ken, there are 63K living alumi in the state. In order for us to fill our building, we would require 87% of them to show up on gameday to fill the place. This is as strong a reason to play a compelling nonconference opponent as there is. I am looking forward to the game tomorrow, an I don’t think we need to limit ourselves to regional schools out of conference. However, we need good ones every other year.
juvenal
October 26th, 2012
10:58 am
great-we like green…
BYU Fan in FL
October 26th, 2012
10:58 am
Take me for example….saw they were playing you guys….bought tickets early and didnt even question the 6 hour drive from florida….and almost went to old miss last year which would have been 12 hours…the wife pulled the plug on that trip. Anytime BYU gets close ill be there, and i think that goes for alot of others as well
WnE
October 26th, 2012
10:59 am
re:
The school’s continuing efforts to schedule attractive opponents could bring Penn State to Bobby Dodd Stadium. Northwestern, Vanderbilt and Purdue are other teams that could be in the mix down the road.
________________
DRad & the GTAA must think we’re stupid!
With the number of natural rivals in the SEC why go and get those teams?
GT wasn’t looking to add Penn St. when they were at full strength, but now that the NCAA has hit them with darn near Death Penalty Probation, now they want to go and add Penn St.
Nice move DRad & CPJ, go after programs that still have “big names” but will probably be “down” when GT has to face them.
Do like Miami and go out and schedule Oklahoma, ND, Florida, K- State, etc.
Now that USCw is off probation go out and schedule them, Texas, Texas A&M, Bama, USCe, there are plenty of programs for GT to schedule other than Vandy, NW, Purdue and other crappy programs like that.
Once again, GT, the GTAA, DRad, & CPJ are trying to scam a gullible fanbase into thinking that they are trying to move our FB program forward.
The only reason their hand is forced now is that Recruits are starting to show backlash against crappy schedules that don’t give them the same amount of TV exposure as the SEC or the Big-12/Big-10 and what other conferences offer TV-wise.
George Stein
October 26th, 2012
10:59 am
Good, BYU fan in FL. If they’re anything like you’ve been this week, they will be great guests.
BYU Fan in FL
October 26th, 2012
11:01 am
excuse me not from the south….”ole miss” my bad….Juvenal we will be seeing you tomorrow I got an invitation to come hang out with you guys at you spot. Any your guys said I could ask if you were going to have a grill?? or should i just pack some sandwiches for me and the wife??
George Stein
October 26th, 2012
11:03 am
We tried to schedule USC, WnE. They didn’t want any.
Real CFB fans know this, of course.
BYU Fan in FL
October 26th, 2012
11:08 am
I appreciate that Stein. Everyone has there punks as fans but one the whole I would say BYU guys are a pretty good bunch.
1 4 GT
October 26th, 2012
11:10 am
The OSU…..I readily admit I was ignorant of your charter and apologize for my remarks. Logic said it had to involve Ohio U of Miami, Oh. But I am sure you hear the way former players, in a NFL game when they show a head shot of the starters, stress the “THE” like it is the main part of the schools name. Most of those guys do come across as saying “THE” with a big dose of arrogance, much like the UMiami (Fl) guys sound so arrogant when they say “the u” like everyone everywhere know they are referring to the U of Miami (Fl)with their head shots. I repeat my apology. I’m sorry for offending you.
juvenal
October 26th, 2012
11:10 am
if you want something special, or it will make you feel better, but not necessary…..since this comes up every time, our standard reply is, “we don’t do sweets”….
BYU Fan in FL
October 26th, 2012
11:15 am
Fair enough we typically do bratwursts at our tailgates…the wife is from Wisconsin so naturally that should make sense
Ill probably bring something to throw on as long as you dont mind me bumming some space on the grill?? Again you guys have been pretty awesome letting us crash the party and not even wearing your colors 
George Stein
October 26th, 2012
11:18 am
It has been my experience that the punks usually are fueled by liquid courage, BYU fan. That probably won’t be an issue tomorrow.
BYU Fan in FL
October 26th, 2012
11:20 am
for most yes wont be a problem….for me…well thats another story hehehe
GTBob
October 26th, 2012
11:21 am
GT wasn’t looking to add Penn St. when they were at full strength, but now that the NCAA has hit them with darn near Death Penalty Probation, now they want to go and add Penn St.
Yeah, it probably doesn’t have anything to do with the fact that Penn State’s new head coach was a long time assistant at GT.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 26th, 2012
11:21 am
@ George……I hope we will get to meet you tomorrow too
Supersize that order, mutt
October 26th, 2012
11:22 am
@ GTBob…….you’re using LOGIC there, and you should know by now that neither the trolls nor the haters relate to logic.
GTBob
October 26th, 2012
11:26 am
Personally, I like the choices for who we would play. Northwestern, Purdue, Vanderbilt all have similar universities to ours. Penn State is obviously a little different but would still be a good game to schedule against a quality team led by a former Tech man. I wouldn’t mind throwing an Auburn or Alabama game in there every once in a while as well, but I like that we are trying to play like minded universities.
1 4 GT
October 26th, 2012
11:39 am
Thanks to those of you that supported my contention of The Ohio State University guys sounding arrogant & puffed up when they say “THE” OSU on TV. My apology still stands to the OSU fan that got offended.
Thanks for clarifying your "stupidity", 1 4 GT...
October 26th, 2012
11:45 am
…regarding The Ohio State University name.
Now, if only the rest of those who do not understand that the name for “Ohio State University” really IS “The Ohio State University” (just look at the name on the marker at the entrance to their campus) we will have done something positive today by educating them as to their stupidity of that university’s REAL name…
And there is nothing wrong with the guys on TV emphasizing that they went to THE Ohio State University – they are only differentiating themselves from other universities and colleges in Ohio, and nowhere else – another lesson you guys can learn today…