Georgia-Auburn game could be sacrificed in SEC scheduling
The Georgia-Auburn rivalry includes this battle: Uga vs. Robert Baker. (Montgomery Advertiser)
There is a chance that SEC conference expansion will claim one significant victim: The Georgia-Auburn series.
Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity said Wednesday that SEC athletic directors will meet near the end of the month to discuss future football scheduling. With the conference’s addition of Texas A&M and Missouri, the two biggest questions: 1) Will the SEC go to a nine-game conference schedule? 2) Will expansion force for the end of the SEC’s annual East-West rivalry games of Georgia-Auburn and Alabama-Tennessee?
Answer to No. 1: Probably not.
Answer to No. 2: Possibly.
Georgia-Auburn is known as the “Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry,” dating back to 1892. They have played every year since 1898, with three exceptions: 1917, 1918 and 1943. The reasons: World War I and World War II. It appears “Conference Armageddon” may have an equal impact.
The ACC recently announced that teams will begin playing nine-game conference schedules when Pittsburgh and Syracuse officially join the league. McGarity is against the SEC increasing from eight-game schedules and does not sense there’s any movement in that direction. He said nine conference games might necessitate schools dropping a traditional local rivalry. Examples: Georgia-Georgia Tech, Florida-Florida State and South-Carolina-Clemson.
The future of Georgia-Auburn is less certain. Expansion will lead to schools playing six games against division opponents and two against the opposite division. (The current breakdown is five-three.) But there are only two traditional East-West rivalries in the SEC, which could lead to schools rotating opponents from the opposite division.
“I think if you ask Alabama and Tennessee, like us and Auburn, we’d like to retain the games,” McGarity said. “But does that work? What do the other 10 schools think? Those four schools like having those games but there’s no other East-West match-up that has that piece of history to it. So I don’t where that fits in.”
He said athletic directors will study “numerous models” when they meet.
“With 14 teams, not everybody will be happy,” he said. “Some will have a problem with everything. But we’ll make decisions based on the best situation of the league.”
By Jeff Schultz
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522 comments Add your comment
Delbert D.
February 9th, 2012
6:54 pm
Somebody proposed the SEC changing to North and South. It is unimaginable that the SEC would include the word “North” in any conference structure. Top – Bottom, Up – Down, Left – Right, Militia – Regulars, Brave – Bold, anything but “North” and South. That would be tantamount to Blue and Gray.
Perhaps Rhett and Scarlett Divisions? Gump and Pyle? Hither and Yon?
5150 UOAD
February 9th, 2012
7:00 pm
Delbert D. how about Hatfield’s & McCoy’s.
Dawg48
February 9th, 2012
7:01 pm
The Hatfields are my kin folk.
5150 UOAD
February 9th, 2012
7:03 pm
They must be the Possum hunters and the McCoy’s are the moonshiners.
Dawg48
February 9th, 2012
7:05 pm
Lol, I’m am serious though. 5150, do you have any quail on your property?
5150 UOAD
February 9th, 2012
7:12 pm
no quail that i have seen.
luxomni
February 9th, 2012
7:15 pm
There’s a poll on one of the Auburn forums which asks, if one rivalry must be dropped, who would you rather drop, bama or Georgia. Right now more would choose to drop bama, by a 178 to 29 vote margin.
Auburn fans enjoy the historic rivalry with Georgia and want it to continue. Longstanding rivalries with Georgia Tech, Tennessee, and Florida have already been lost.
Dawg48
February 9th, 2012
7:16 pm
They are hard to find now a days. My buddy up the street has put some out in the back two fields over the past few days, we put the dogs on them this after noon and ran some up. Surprised the coyotes have not got them yet.
Lakedawg
February 9th, 2012
7:24 pm
Whiskey–Check all SEC teams OOC schedule and let us know who has any tougher than UGA.
Bad to be sauced and not know of which you write.
sting_em
February 9th, 2012
7:59 pm
I find Saban and Miles disgusting. Being a life long Tech fan, my hatred for UGA has never been lower. I would love to beat you guys sometimes, but I hate what the scumbag coaches are doing at Bama and LSU. Unfortunately Richt wont lower himself to that level just to win at all costs. I just find it amazing that so many dumbass kids want to be associated with them, but I guess they think its the best way for them to get to the NFL and get paid.
Newt Gingrich is a rock star
February 9th, 2012
8:16 pm
I hear you Lon Stotts (first page), I was 2 weeks from birth when my parents took me to the ‘68 Cocktail Party, a 51-0 beatdown on the Gators. I’m sure the muffled cheers of 40,000 Georgia fans and the groans of 40,000 Gator fans were quite pleasing, even if I can’t remember.
Georgia and Auburn needs to survive, but if Nebraska-Oklahoma didn’t make it, then nothing’s sacred. Nothing that happens in college football surprises me anymore. The powers-that-be seem determined to ruin a great game.
Phil
February 9th, 2012
8:22 pm
They should put Missouri in the SEC West and Auburn in the East. That would solve the problem and reduce transportation costs. Missouri is a few hundred miles west of Auburn anyway. Why didn’t they think of that from the beginning? Think of all the jet fuel to be burned transporting eastern teams to Missouri, and the gasoline burned by thousands of fans who would drive.
j.wolfe
February 9th, 2012
9:28 pm
Missouri v Kansas football rivalry dates back to the civil war. Because of politics the border was the scene of guerilla warfare. Missouri Confederate William Quantrill led the retaliation again John Brown. Not much time passed before the football rivalry replaced the actual war. A notorious Kansas coach continued to spew life and death hatred about the game as recently as a couple decades ago. One time Kansas was so desperate to keep the series close that they even brought in a ringer from Texas A&M a couple weeks before a game that decided the National Championship for #1 Missouri where Kansas was only ranked 10th. Most fans can handle the game respectfully but the ones who can’t sometime make it look like losing this oldest football rivalry might actually be positive. My feeling is that the conference should not eat up the entire year for it’s teams. Its ok if cross division games only happen every 2nd, 3rd, or 4th years, and it’s ok if rivalries only happen every other year instead of every year. What’s missing in college football are evenly matched inter-conference games during the regular season. What we have too much of are unevenly matched inter-conference games during especially the early season. A fourteen team conference is really two conferences and so is twelve team conference. It’s still cool if the divisions have some cross play but it’s shouldn’t be more than two games per year. 9,10, 11 conferences games might be too much rivalry.
aw
February 9th, 2012
9:53 pm
Hey, why not drop Auburn and add Alabama? JK UGA needs a chance to win the SEC!
James
February 9th, 2012
10:10 pm
Clemson was 1-1 in the SEC. Don’t for get outscoring Auburn 31-3 from the second quarter on. And they own South Carolina 65-40-4, 6 of the las 10 and 10 of the last 15.
RJ
February 9th, 2012
10:10 pm
Why does GTbob feel like he can speak for all of the GTfans and pigeon hole all of the Dog fans. Talk about unrealistic. Anyway I have learned over the years you can never reason with an unreasonable person, it is pointless because when you try to actually have a real conversation you quickly realize even facts can be bent in any direction wanted by taking a lot of liberties. I think Bob must be a politician or still is in the 8th grade.
bubba4dawgs
February 9th, 2012
10:24 pm
Who the hell even wants to see a Texas Tech or Missouri game? Certainly not at the expense of giving up our lifelong rivalries!!!!! You’ll find few if any fans that agree with such an idiotic plan!! GO DAWGS and while you’re at it take this stupid idea and bury it out in the backyard and use it for your toilet!! Sic’em!!
drop auburn
February 9th, 2012
10:30 pm
get auburn off the Dawgs schedule and get some west division creampuff every year like ole miss or miss state. Auburn’s going to be good in the next few years and Ga needs to get them off the schedule, aSap!
5150 UOAD
February 9th, 2012
11:28 pm
Brainiac(Dawg for life/Richt fan for life)
February 8th, 2012
10:45 am
@ Wreckmainiac:(10:20 am)
What are you smoking child? CMR owns Saban. Want some proof? Check out the won/lost record between CMR and Saban in head to head games.
Be sure and let us ALL know which coach has won 3 out of 4 head to head games. I would tell you but it will keep you and your single digit IQ out of our hair for a couple of days or maybe weeks.
Good luck and don’t forget to let us know what you find.
Fact: Saban has lost 3 out of 4 games when his teams have played CMR’s
Fact Debunked
2003 Sat, Sept 20 #2 LSU w17-10…Saban 1-0 Richt
2003 Sat, Dec 6 #2 LSU w34-13…Saban 2-0 Richt
2004 Sat, Oct 2 LSU L16-45…Saban 2-1 Richt
2007 Sat, Sept 22 BamaL23-26…Saban 2-2 Richt
2008 Sat, Sept 27#8 Bamaw41-30…Saban 3-2 Richt
Brainiac(Dawg for life/Richt fan for life)
Fact: Only ONE active coach in America has a winning record against CMR
Active
George O’Leary (UCF) against Richt. 1-0
Nick Saban (LSU & Bama) against Richt. 3-2
Urban Meyer (Florida) against Richt 5-2
Tom O’Brien (Boston College) against Richt 1-0
Lane Kiffin (Tennessee) against Richt 1-0
Rich Rodriguez (W. Virginia) against Richt 1-0
Not Active
Zook 2-1 against Richt
So which coach did you say has the ONLY Winning Record against Richt?
doug
February 10th, 2012
12:02 am
Bad move. Rivalries are the essence of the game. I knew money would eventually wreck the game. Just like everything else. If they dont kill the rivalry now they will kill it later. I cant believe how little outrage their is. You all should be totally pissed. Socialism in America and now no Aub/Uga. Nobody cares. Your all gutless.
JJ
February 10th, 2012
12:53 am
UNC vs. Tennessee? LMAO. The game that UNC “won” by a call considered so bad that it changed NCAA rules? That game is your comparison? I’m a Tennessee fan and we haven’t been close to “middle of the pack” since LK fled in the middle of the night pilfering recruits and leaving us under investigation. We used to be elite and we will be elite again but we flat out sucked in 2010 and even then UNC only won because of a call so bad the NCAA made sure it could never happen again.
preferredduck
February 10th, 2012
2:01 am
I would personally see the UGA auburn game go away. That game and going to jax every year is awesome, even though uf has been on a roll I still love going. The game is usually nationally televised and most of the time and the winner of the game usually iced their season. Money does talk on this matter, bit I think their are a lot more people who would hate to see this game go away. I have been to many UGA -AU games and I love it.
get ur facts straight
February 10th, 2012
2:36 am
This sucks. UGA-AU needs to be preserved. UA-UT and UF-LSU should be too.
Drop Georgia tek from our Schedules
February 10th, 2012
3:41 am
There is absolutely no reason to play a school whose only purpose in Life is to beat us, when there is everything to lose and nothing to gain.
Auburn Georgia Game, our Oldest Rivalry ?
Get real Jeff Schultz. Look, you are a Florida grad, right ? Why don’t AJ-C sportswriters have to put up their bio ? You don’t know a thing about our Rivalry with Auburn. It is not just about Robert Baker and UGA biting him.
If there is one game besides Florida that will NEVER be dropped, it is Auburn.
Georgia tek ?
Happy to see that one go.
Will Georgia drop Tech?
February 10th, 2012
7:55 am
[...] Georgia drop Tech? Will Tech/Ga become a casualty of conference expansion? Headlinin Georgia-Auburn game could be sacrificed in SEC scheduling | Jeff Schultz Reply With [...]
aw
February 10th, 2012
8:10 am
@drop auburn “yeah because UGA doesn’t have enough Creampuffs on their schedule already. No LSU, Alabama, or Arkansas; not to mention UGA is 4-22 in that quote unquote rivalry with Florida!!!!!!
FLA DAWG
February 10th, 2012
8:12 am
I hate to see this happen.
What a great rivalry we’ve had.
Michael
February 10th, 2012
8:24 am
This is completely ridiculous!!! A 9 game conference schedule is necessary, and you can still keep outside conference rivalries, and still have 2 cupcakes on your schedule!!! SEC powers that be need to do whatever it takes so that rivalries that have been around longer than they have, continue to be around long after they’re gone. IT’S CALLED CLASS!!, HAVE SOME!!!
TonyT
February 10th, 2012
8:26 am
We play WELL enough cupcakes to drop one and add a 9th SEC game – thus talk of dropping the Tech game cause we add an extra SEC is just a scare tactic.
What we are really asking is that instead of (out of the 4 non SEC games) can we go from perhaps one decent non-SEC game (UGA-Tech, Tenn-UCLA, Bama-Penn St, ect) and three cupcakes, moving to one extra SEC game, one decent non-SEC game, and TWO cupcakes….. sounds reasonable to me….
LHarding Dawg
February 10th, 2012
8:41 am
aw’s an uniformed idiot!
BulldogBen
February 10th, 2012
9:10 am
This is completely shameful and more proof the powers that be COULD CARE LESS about tradition and the fans (you know the people who support this stuff) and look at TV contracts and money. McGarity should show a freaking backbone and tell every other team “sorry, on this point we aren’t negotiating”. Same with Bama/UT. To me, this would be like Harvard/Yale not playing. It’s absolute madness and sad.
All of these people making the decisions are RUINING the sport.
Flo-Ri-Duh
February 10th, 2012
9:35 am
Keep Auburn and get rid of South Central Podunk “U”. Besides last year’s game against Auburn wasn’t as challenging as Podunk “U”.
mark
February 10th, 2012
10:06 am
Get rid of AM, Missou,S.Carolina, and Ark. Return to a real SEC conf.
savannadawg
February 10th, 2012
10:35 am
Enter your comments here
savannadawg
February 10th, 2012
10:39 am
Keep Kentucky, or move Vanderbilt between Auburn and GT or just extend the season through February and play every other weekend with the conference sides playing on the others off weekend. Gives guys plenty of rest before they go kill each other again. And it gives us football for two more months.
savannadawg
February 10th, 2012
10:46 am
Oh, and if teams want to go down in level to play a 1-AA team thats OK. But there has to be value placed on the teams one chooses to play. I’m talking a serious point value per level of competition. Which in turn would be considered when bowls, playoffs or what ever is decided for your teams ranking at the end of the season. If you play a cup-cake that team should only be worth what it is ranked. In other words, lets score it like GOLF. The lower the score means the higher the competition a school played.
macrotech
February 10th, 2012
11:25 am
It’s getting to where there are NO sacred cows in college football….it’s a sad day when a rivalry like this is lost. SMH
sting_em
February 10th, 2012
11:33 am
A college playoff instead of the BCS would help with out of conference scheduling. Top teams wouldn’t feel the need to schedule creampuffs to preserve their perfect record.
5150 UOAD
February 10th, 2012
11:36 am
sting_em I don’t think that is right. The SEC will CRY even more to play as many cremepuffs so they will be Healthy for the second season/playoffs.
DawgByte
February 10th, 2012
11:58 am
I would argue there is no more important rivalry in college football worth saving than UGA and Auburn!
I defy anyone to identify a more COMPETITIVE series across college football than that of Georgia and Auburn, with a single win separating the two teams. AU owns the series lead by one game, while UGA has scored more points. This is also I highly unique rivalry, which includes mutual respect and a classy relationship amongst fan bases.
If a choice has to be made I would argue for dropping Georgia Tech. Tech has proven year-after-year that they can not compete against Georgia on the football field. Moreover, their fan base does not support their program with enough enthusiasm to warrant allowing them the privilege to play UGA.
AUUGA
February 10th, 2012
12:11 pm
Join the movement to save the game!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Save-the-Deep-Souths-Oldest-Rivalry/253742484700300
TDF
February 10th, 2012
1:39 pm
5150 UOAD
February 10th, 2012
11:36 am
Cry???? We play in the best conf in football. We have earned the right to schedule easy OOC games. Why do you think GT gets on there every year!!!
The Deep South's Most Futile Game
February 10th, 2012
2:34 pm
Georgia vs. The Dorks
We all know the outcome years in advance, and one team’s fans never show up (even at home for free food).
Jf
February 10th, 2012
2:42 pm
Hell no we need to keep playing this rivalry . We all need to speak up and tell the sec we want to keep it going. Us Auburn fans and Georgia fans alike.
The Deep South's Most Futile Game (Tech)
February 10th, 2012
2:49 pm
The UGA – AU game must stay. With the exception of the occasional douchenozzle AU troll, I respect Auburn. At least they can win or lose without killing trees or recording a post game sack at Krystals.
no go
February 10th, 2012
2:54 pm
dump the ga-tech game and keep au-ga–the oldest game in the south.
TDF
February 10th, 2012
3:08 pm
The Deep South’s Most Futile Game (Tech)
February 10th, 2012
2:49 pm
Can we get a comment of the day button! I almost spit my water all over my computer when I read this.
Georgia-Auburn, Alabama-Tennessee In Danger, Georgia AD Acknowledges | Alabama News | Alabama Breaking News Headlines | Alabama News Directory
February 10th, 2012
3:32 pm
[...] are being about a futures of a Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry and a Third Saturday in October. As quoted by Jeff Schultz, here’s Georgia Bulldogs jaunty executive Greg McGarity, in box we missed [...]
Austin
February 10th, 2012
4:28 pm
This was my only problem with SEC expansion! Why ruin a good thing? If it ain’t broke don’t fix it! We were a great conference before this blunder!! Why not have a nine game conference schedule? Who cares about going to see our team play those smaller schools that are rarely a contest that’s not what I pay my money to see! If this happens thanks for screwing up a good thing Mike Slive and whoever else had a hand in it!
Drop Tech
February 10th, 2012
6:22 pm
Thanks