Now in the role of Louisiana-Monroe: Georgia State?
"Roll over Tide! Roll over Tide! Roll over Tide!" (Hyosub Shin/hshin@ajc.com)
I’ve got great news, Georgia State football fans. There’s a chance the Panthers can catch Alabama looking ahead to the Auburn game!
The Panthers released their inaugural 2010 schedule Tuesday, and as expected it’s stuffed with predominantly 1-AA and NAIA opponents, at least two of which (Old Dominion and South Alabama) are starting play this season. It’s the sincere hope of coach Bill Curry that State will have at least a few wins under its belt before going to Tuscaloosa Nov. 20 to play Alabama. It will be the Panthers’ final game of the season but will take place the week before the Crimson Tide closes its regular season against Auburn.
I would say the Panthers have absolutely no shot. But when Alabama lost a home game to Louisiana-Monroe in Nick Saban’s first season, it gave hope to all of college football’s flotsam.
Georgia State is getting paid $400,00 for the game. That’s relatively little compared to the appearance fees several Sun Belt teams have collected in recent seasons to get beat up by SEC schools. I can only assume Bama officials figured they already had paid Curry enough when he coached the Tide for three seasons (1987-89), a tenure that was punctuated by an angry fan throwing a brick through his window.
Before facing Alabama, Georgia State will play, in order: Shorter College, Jacksonville State, Campbell, Morehead State, Savannah State, North Carolina Central, Old Dominion, South Alabama and Lambuth. I considered giving you a game-by-game prediction. But I haven’t had a chance to look at the Shorter or Campbell film yet, and Old Dominion won’t let me watch practice.
Bottom line: Hey, it’s football. We shouldn’t expect much in year one, or two, or maybe even three. But I like them against Lambuth.
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85 comments Add your comment
Big Dan
September 2nd, 2009
4:10 pm
By year 4 I see a big win over Tech..
Class of '98
September 2nd, 2009
4:18 pm
I have no worthwhile comment to contribute to the article.
Jason
September 2nd, 2009
4:20 pm
Can anyone get me two tickets for the Georgia State/Lambuth game? I’m looking for two tickets to the Georgia State/Lambuth game….
Sonny Clusters
September 2nd, 2009
4:25 pm
Was we first? Nope. We was always hoping Georgia State would get a team and now they has one. Bill Curry learned to play football at Georgia Tech with Coach Dodd and we was thinking maybe Georgia State will do some quick kicks and punt on third down some like Coach Dodd did. Punting a lot might be a good idea against Alabama. We was never a big fan of Alabama football even when Coach Curry was there. Here he was coaching and doing his best and they was trying to run him out of town the whole time. Now, he can go back there with these Georgia State Panthers and get some revenge. Does he have any hoodlums on the team? We was thinking he could recruit some right down the street at the city jail and maybe put together a pretty good team that can compete on that level. Same for the AJC when they need some more reporters. Going to Dunwoody is going to cut down on available hoodlums but should make for nicer working conditions if you go out to your car and it’s still there. Putting out three blogs a day is hard for anybody and Jeff is putting ‘em out like a champion. We was thinking it must be hard to think up three blogs a day every day and keep the quality up like Jeff does. Some people at the paper that blogs like this can’t keep up the pace. Playing Alabama will tell whether Georgia State is going to be able to keep up the pace. Most betting Clusters would say no.
Brandon from Warner Robins
September 2nd, 2009
4:27 pm
Good Work, Jeff. No way Georgia State beats Alabama, though.
comicman
September 2nd, 2009
4:28 pm
Okay, Jeff, here’s the deal.
My wife thinks I just sit at my computer and watch porn and drink bourbon, which is partially true, but I always tell her, “No, Babe, I’m not watching porn and drinking bourbon, I’m reading Jeff Schultz,” and then you put a picture of Danica Patrick in an earlier post and I’ve died and gone to heaven, and for just a minute, I’m not lying to my wife. You’re no journalist, you’re enabling me or you’re a therapist; I haven’t made up my mind.
You’re always fun to read. But where’s Danica?
Money
September 2nd, 2009
4:30 pm
I know the SEC takes a lot of heat for scheduling “cupcake” games but this is ridiculous!!! GSU is going to get slaughtered…is there a mercy rule in college football?
RPW
September 2nd, 2009
4:31 pm
At least they’re better than Kennesaw State’s imaginary football team.
Hillbilly Deluxe
September 2nd, 2009
4:32 pm
Georgia State is getting paid $400,00 for the game
I’m guessing that means $400,000 and not $400.00. Even I wouldn’t take a fall for a measly $400. Anyway, just curious, what is the going rate these days in college football for a guaranteed “W”?
Sonny Clusters
September 2nd, 2009
4:33 pm
When we was playing ball together back when we was in school one thing we always kept in mind was that at any time Coach might holler out, “Clusters, go in for Jeff.” That was always a tension filled time because Coach didn’t pull Jeff but when he really had p&^%$&d Coach off. Then we was supposed to go in and play and still be friends with Jeff when we got to the Dairy Queen. Sometimes the girls would leave the game early and be waiting for us at the Dairy Queen and they wouldn’t know nothing about Jeff getting pulled and they would squeal real loud when we pulled up out in the parking lot and Jeff would still be mad at Coach. These was tense times. Still, a couple peanut buster parfaits would fix most anything back then.
BruffDawg
September 2nd, 2009
4:36 pm
Hey, I remember when USF was a joke. Georgia state will slowly build into a very respectable program.
PJ
September 2nd, 2009
4:37 pm
We are putting them on the schedule for 2011. Already got the city championship rings ordered.
Sonny Clusters
September 2nd, 2009
4:39 pm
Georgia State don’t have a single building with ivy on it. They can’t beat Alabama like that. Alabama has buildings mostly covered with kudsu and lots of tradition because of it. Bill Curry ought to know what is going to happen when you take a concrete building school with no ivy and put it up against a stone building school with kudsu. They is tradition to overcome and Alabama is going to have more plays in the book than a school playing its first season. What if Georgia State gets down close to the goal and doesn’t have anymore plays to run? Clusters think ahead and Bill Curry better be thinking ahead, too.
Tale of Woe
September 2nd, 2009
4:41 pm
If this was basketball I would favor GA State by 3….Unfortunately, it is football…I wonder if they will be favored by 73 (which is a joke that UF scheduled Charleston Southern, but that is for another comment on another blog)
PTC DAWG
September 2nd, 2009
4:44 pm
I still can’t believe Alabama scheduled Georgia State. Georgia State, think about that…in their first year of organized football? Was Hoover High not available?
Antonio Gramsci
September 2nd, 2009
4:51 pm
Ah, I see what you’ve done there. Clever.
Joe T
September 2nd, 2009
4:52 pm
I think it is great GSU has a team and I will be ordering season tickets. I will also travel to Tuscaloosa, AL to watch the “look ahead” game.
Sonny Clusters
September 2nd, 2009
4:58 pm
When we was studying journalism in school we missed the first day and still we ended up getting a certificate and getting to write for the paper so Clusters has always been people that would stick to something and finish it up. That’s what makes blogging here with Jeff so pleasurable. Sticking to it and finishing it up before a new blog appears. Say for instance, Jeff has blogged something about lucky underpants and we was writing a post and before we could hit Submit Comment Jeff has already replaced that blog with one about Mike Vick. Well, a Clusters will just go ahead and post that first lucky underpants comment and then follow up with some football talk just like a journalist who does three blogs a day would do.
Dejay
September 2nd, 2009
5:00 pm
‘Hey, I remember when USF was a joke.’
I do too. When they started over a decade ago, they didn’t even have offices; just a trailer. You can best believe that there are no Gator, Seminole, or Hurricane alums laughing at them now.
kirkinga
September 2nd, 2009
5:01 pm
Just reading our schedule gave me goosebumps. Yes I know that’s laughable to all the Dawgs and Jackets and fans of other big time programs, but this is a dream come true for many of us.
One day Georgia State will not be joke material. Laugh now, while you can.
Tom B
September 2nd, 2009
5:15 pm
Sonny Clusters can only be found on Jeff’s blog. I now know why….Sonny is Jeff, or is Jeff Sonny? I think Jeff is sonny all the time. Keep making me laugh! Sonny, er I mean Jeff.
Where have you gone jim Bob Cooter ?
September 2nd, 2009
5:16 pm
Hope GA St does well. Best of luck. But…
Scheduling an SEC scholl for their tenth organized game ? That just strikes me as stupid. Fans know the formula with what amounts to a college expansion team – play a lot of young ‘uns and realize that it will take time. State could build a solid ,respected program by playing regional rivals (GA Southern , UTC ,etc.) and measuring their progress against those teams. Lining up on the road for a paid blowout really doesn’t do them or their opponent any good.The Louisiana schools that play in the Sunbelt have become the Washington Generals of college football and its rather sad to watch them trudge through 3-4 win seasons and be outmanned just about everywhere they play. I hope GSU doesn’t go this route.
Sonny Clusters
September 2nd, 2009
5:19 pm
Not many folks knows that we did some graduate work at Georgia State and that makes us fans. We was always walking up and down Courtland Street going from class to class and thinking it was time for a football team down there. Well, now they is one and it is probably going to be a pretty good one with Bill Curry coaching. Bill played some ball at Georgia Tech and coached there, too. We only got one degree from there and one from Georgia that was probably easiest. So, it’s hard for a Clusters to pick a favorite team and that’s why we always liked Clemson when they was recruiting us.
Sonny Clusters
September 2nd, 2009
5:29 pm
One of the biggest regrets this Clusters has got is not getting a degree from Clemson. We was so busy going to Ga Tech and Georgia and then to Ga State that they was no time to drive up to Clemson and study there. We was pretty much into the second shift by then, too, so when would we get to go to class? We was always studying when we was playing ball because we was aware that you can’t play ball forever and you need something to fall back on when you get old and can’t turn on a fastball or get down quick enough for a ground ball. Writing for the paper was one of the first things that come to mind because a lot of sports journalists was broke down and couldn’t play ball but could still write about it. Writing three blogs a day, though, is brutal and old guys shouldn’t have to do that.
Paul H
September 2nd, 2009
5:31 pm
How can Alabama look themselves in the mirror for playing this game? SHAMEFUL. But then again, Bama doesn’t know the meaning of that word.
SaintDK10
September 2nd, 2009
5:33 pm
GSU didn’t WANT to schedule Alabama in their first year, but that was the only available date Alabama gave us. A chance for national exposure and a $400K check made it very hard for Curry and Company to turn the offer down. We all know what a beatdown this will be, but considering Saban will probably play his walk-ons by the 3rd quarter, I think the chances of our kids getting out of Tuscaloosa without any serious injuries will be pretty good.
These are very humble beginnings for GSU, but those fakers from Statesboro are already crapping their pants. Let’s see how funny we are to the boys from North Avenue Trade School ten years from now.
southgeorgiadog
September 2nd, 2009
5:34 pm
Don’t laugh. I remember when FSU was a joke and the head coach, Darrell Mudra, spent the games in the press box. But Alabama and for only $400,000????
MiltonDawg
September 2nd, 2009
5:43 pm
obviously a DAWG fan, but looking forward to seeing another team ATL play. Best of luck to the Panthers and who knows- they could pull an upset.
DawgsAllHaveRubberTeeth
September 2nd, 2009
5:46 pm
Ol’Georgie better start shakin! GSU is a liberal arts school and they will pull some athletes away from the farmlands if they ever move up to the big stage. Same thing goes if the other GSU in Statesboro decides to move up. They were seriously looking at moving up but I guess the economy just wasn’t right.
Georgia State will rule the state by 2025!!! Count on it! We will be a member of the toughest conference in America – Go Big 12! Put the Dawgs back on their leash Cowboys! These Dawgs are far too nasty for the house!
Bob Horner had a sweet compact swing
September 2nd, 2009
5:56 pm
Somebody threw a brick in Bill Curry’s window..?? reckon who it was Jeff..?? is he still on the loose….
ummmmm…I am a dawg fan…but I got not hate for Bill Curry I think he’s a gentleman and a class act…I liked his commentary on ESPN2 college fottball games..he was always impartial….IMHO
A.W.
September 2nd, 2009
5:57 pm
GEORGIA STATE NEEDS TO DEVELOP AN ANNUAL RIVALRY GAME WITH GEORGIA SOUTHERN!
blazerdawg
September 2nd, 2009
6:00 pm
Where is Georgia Southern and Valdosta State on this schedule? Those games would be great!
Rammer Jammer
September 2nd, 2009
6:03 pm
Mark Richt F E A R S Coach Saban !
Tide Rising
September 2nd, 2009
6:06 pm
PTC DAWG and PAULH,
Its not like Alabama went out of their way to schedule a 1st year patsy team. This is the same Alabama that opens with # 7 Va Tech this year and with Penn State next year so its not as if we’re just looking for pushovers.
We feel like by playing a big time opponent it helps raise the profile of the GSU program in a hurry. It was the only date available and GSU jumped at the chance. You can bet your tail that Saban is going to call off the dogs real early.
Alabama people don’t like beating up on someone 77-0. When is the last time anyone can remember Alabama running up the score on anyone? We don’t run up points in the 60s and 70s to embarrass people and we won’t do it to GSU.
Score 2 pts for Jeff Schultz
September 2nd, 2009
6:10 pm
Good job Jeff. You were able to accomplish 2 things at once today by raising awareness of the GSU program and simultaneously getting in your usual cheap shot against Alabama. Bravo!
Dan
September 2nd, 2009
6:18 pm
You gotta start somewhere; there’s nothing unusual about State’s schedule as a start-up program. South Florida’s first game was against a NCAA Division 2 school whose football program was non-scholarship. Shorter is a top 15 NAIA program (comparable in quality to NCAA Div. 2), so that’s a respectable opener for the Panthers. As for the beatdown by Alabama, it’s a money game and national exposure for State (and being late in the season, it’ll be a nice late-season opportunity for ‘Bama to empty its bench early in a game). Here’s hoping the Panthers develop a solid program, develop some rivalries with the likes of Georgia Southern and fellow start-up South Alabama, and make some noise in the CAA in a few years.
The Truth
September 2nd, 2009
6:51 pm
A football program at Ga State is a JOKE! As the season wears on the fans will stop coming as Atlanta offers several better options and actual winning teams such as the Falcons. Get ready to see the Ga State stadium look like the Florida Marlins stadium. And sorry but you have no hope of beating Ga Tech OR UGA… not in the next 50 years!
Scout Dawg
September 2nd, 2009
6:57 pm
Even though it’s not the Dawg’s I’m talking about I’m proud of the real GSU playing Aladama. Get paid and learn. Pay your dues, because that is what playing an SEC team, ala OSU Cowpokes, means. In a few years watch out for the Panthers! How many players that want to play in ATL will they steal from the nerds. I mean where would you rather go? Any way, welcome back to knock your block off safety play, as well as the JUNKYARD DAWGS. Go DAWGS, GATA, I pity the nerds.
PTC DAWG
September 2nd, 2009
7:21 pm
Tide Rising…I stand by my comments…Va Tech..yeah, how about FIU, North Texas and Chattanooga in 2009?
No telling what 4 powerhouses you have scheduled for next year to go with Penn State.
PTC DAWG
September 2nd, 2009
7:26 pm
I decided to check out Bama’s powerhouse OOC schedule for 2010..to go with that Big 11 patsy, they have San Jose, Duke and Georgia State. LMAO 3 more powerhouses.
SuperB
September 2nd, 2009
7:26 pm
I can understadn why Ga. State is playing Alabama. But why is Alabama playing them?
Was Agnes Scott unavailable on that date? Shame on Bama!!!
Pantherblaze
September 2nd, 2009
7:46 pm
Hey Blazerdawg I’m with ya…as an alum of both the REAL GSU (otherwise known as the Yale of Courtland Street) and VSU, that’s a game I’d travel to see!
gt76
September 2nd, 2009
8:05 pm
This just in…Ugay refuses to play the real university in georgia…one dawg butt kicking a year is all Saint Richt can stand.
Hammer22
September 2nd, 2009
8:20 pm
The jokes and laughs will only last for a short time. The juggernaut will eventually head downhill.
Gee Is You Fan
September 2nd, 2009
8:41 pm
I would feel a lot better about starting a football team if we had developed any winning consistency with our basketball program.
Despite a couple NCAA appearances, GSU hasn’t shown to me that they can run a decent big-time program yet. Baseball doesn’t come close to bigtime college football and basketball.
Hope I’m wrong, because it’d be a lot of fun to see us stick it to those other two football powers in the state I’ve heard so much about.
Sonny Clusters
September 2nd, 2009
8:50 pm
We was trying to figure out why Ga State would schedule Alabama and we come up with 400,000 reasons why. How much of that will have to be spent on counselors to get the players thinking right again after the game is uncertain. Bill Curry is on up in years and he might be coaching on a walker before this thing is over. They was a trick play Bobby Dodd used to talk about that nobody much knows about and we was thinking this might be the time for Bill Curry to pull that play on Alabama. If he does, that game is as good as over.
Reid Adair
September 2nd, 2009
9:22 pm
Bill Curry beating Alabama after all of the undeserved abuse he took there? That would be classic.
I have my raccoon coat and pennant ready
September 2nd, 2009
9:31 pm
Will the majority of our team be out of jail in time to make kickoff at the opener?
JesupDawg
September 2nd, 2009
9:39 pm
Big Dan is Big Dumb, GSU ain’t beating Tech. They will be lucky to win in practice against themselves.
rhynster
September 2nd, 2009
9:47 pm
I bought Ga State season tickets the day they went on sale. Who knows where I’ll sit? All I have is an e-mail confirmation. But that’s OK. I assume I’ll eventual recieve tickets.
Anyway, yeah, ‘Bama is going to rip us to shreds, but that’s OK.
It’s baby steps, you know? And this is as close to a “bowl game” as these kids could imagine in Year 1.
You think they’re not excited about being on that field in Tuscaloosa?
Hell yeah they are!