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
Bronc62
February 9th, 2012
3:36 pm
GTBob….yes we in the SEC have a couple of cupcake games( Boise State sure) however other conferences(ACC) have 6 to 8 cupcakes..
Steve
February 9th, 2012
3:37 pm
FJR, you are a moron.
UGA has probably had the toughest OOC slate of ANY SEC team over the last decade. While we play GaTech every year, which on its own is as tough as all but maybe a couple of SEC teams entire OOC slate, we have also added BCS schools such as ASU, Colorado, OkSt, Oregon State, and also perennial BCS Contender Boise State.
Now, ASU and Colorado were down when we played them, but when they were added to the schedule Colorado had just won it’s 4th straight Big 12 North titles and ASU had just tied for the best record in the Pac 10.
The last time SoCarolina played more than one decent team in OOC was .. well .. before you were likely born. Crawl back under your rock.
Now – as for the UGA v. Auburn rivalry it would certainly help UGA’s chances to get to play a cupcake team more often instead of having Auburn who finishes in the top half of the West more often than not. Same for Auburn. That being said, it is about as big a rivalry game as you can have for non-division teams and I would hate to see it go away so we can face Ole Miss, MSU or Arkansas an extra time every six season.
dagadawgs
February 9th, 2012
3:38 pm
GTBob
February 8th, 2012
3:58 pm
I thought every year sucked if you were a Tech fan….
Nah, its not so bad because we never have unrealistic expectations.
Yet I am such a loser I will troll big brothers blog everyday! Get a life dude! Nobody and I mean nobody cares about GT and that 1950’s offense you run. Friggin loser! Don’t go away mad, just go away.
wareagle
February 9th, 2012
3:38 pm
its not gonna happen. the fans will revolt. just look at this page.
Devil's Advocate
February 9th, 2012
3:40 pm
GT Fan,
You lack intelligence. UGA plays GA Southern every 4 years as a matter of policy now. It’s better to give a big payday to an in-state school when you can than always to an out-of-state school. The Eagles have been wanting to play Tech for a long time and were denied despite Tech loving to bring in Furman and the Citadel. At least you guys finally broke down and scheduled them for 2015. The only reason this game was moved to later in the season is to accommodate the new SEC schedule (playing Mizzou). We’re no longer playing South Carolina as our SEC opener either so stuff is changing.
raleturn
February 9th, 2012
3:43 pm
They need to do the right thing and put both Missouri an Texas AM in the West and put Auburn in the East. Putting Missourin in the West makes about as much sense as putting the Braves in the West in baseball.
chad
February 9th, 2012
3:47 pm
Could we not drop Louisiana Lafayette or Arkansas State. Why give up Tech or Auburn…
Techster
February 9th, 2012
3:49 pm
The dogs will probably replace Auburn with Elon or Catawba College.
This weakness of the schedule is obvious, yet dog fans expect us to accept their football program as being great.
mistermak
February 9th, 2012
3:50 pm
There is no reason not to go to a 9 game conference schedule. All that has to be done is each SEC school drop one of their non-conference cream puff schools that they play. Those games are so lousy they don’t even make the TV schedule so why not stop playing them?
Darrell Meece
February 9th, 2012
3:50 pm
Here is a link to a petition to the SEC administrators and athletic directors: http://www.change.org/petitions/sec-conference-administrators-and-athletic-directors-preserve-the-annual-auburn-vs-georgia-football-game-3
I’d rather say something before they do it to us than wait and complain and feel bad I didn’t take a minute to say something.
G-Dawg
February 9th, 2012
3:56 pm
Tech football should be in D-II anyways with that crappy offense they run!!
reality gator
February 9th, 2012
4:01 pm
As a gator why Missouri? they have no history in the SEC, greed of the Sec will destroy the SEC”
Look how far teams from the deep south will have to travel to play this school, this was a dumb move, why mess with something that is working?
Devil's Advocate
February 9th, 2012
4:04 pm
Techster,
Shouldn’t beating you guys regularly be good enough?
Whiskey Breath
February 9th, 2012
4:04 pm
Let’s see, who else can we eliminate on Ga’s schedule to make CMR look good?
How many crappy teams can Ga play? So go ahead and declare the National Championship
Ga like you have for the last 30 years.
tired of it
February 9th, 2012
4:05 pm
This is pathetic. The Presidents and ADs refuse to go to a 9 game conference schedule b/c it will eliminate one of their 3 or 4 creampuff games that they get to schedule every year.
Hooray for scheduling East Bumblef*** U!
ozzfest
February 9th, 2012
4:12 pm
I’LL TAKE A TRIP TO HOUSTON AND ON TO COLLEGE STATION ANYTIME OVER A TRIP TO AUBURN….AND A&M ALUMNI ARE LOADED, UNLIKE THE COUNTYR BUMPKIN DRUNKS WHO MAKE THE TRIP TO ATHENS EVERY OTHE YEAR.
GREAT NEWS FOR ALL DOGS WHO ARE NOT AFRAID TO GET ON AN AIRPLANE!!!
Jake
February 9th, 2012
4:14 pm
Can see the Vols not playing Bama each year.
The Diesel
February 9th, 2012
4:19 pm
Would hate to lose the AU-UGA game.Nothing I enjoy more than seeing The East Alabama Goat Humpers get beat by the Dawgs.
Boss Hog
February 9th, 2012
4:20 pm
or Boise State and SDSU in the Big East?
Really?
February 9th, 2012
4:24 pm
Regular season scheduling – the real problem with college football. Oh, that and 120+ teams in the same division trying to claim a mythical title given out by ESPN/ABC/USAToday/etc. UGA-Clemson and AU-GT had some tradition as well, but no more.
show me kid
February 9th, 2012
4:25 pm
The Missouri-Kansas rivalry is as old as the Georgia-Auburn rivalry.
Thogwummpy
February 9th, 2012
4:25 pm
Blood feud rivalries have long been the meat of what makes college football superior to the pros. It would be foolish to torpedo these passionate games just to enable wider league play. Hopefully, the Conference boards aren’t that stupid.
KnowSauced
February 9th, 2012
4:27 pm
Necessitated?
this stinks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
February 9th, 2012
4:28 pm
Expect a riot if this happens!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dr Seuss
February 9th, 2012
4:35 pm
Cats and dogs sleeping together! What next?
Stinger
February 9th, 2012
4:38 pm
First it’s Alabama, now Auburn, will Tech be next? I can see it now NE Louisiana, Norfolk State, and Clark on your schedule.
Jerry
February 9th, 2012
4:38 pm
This would be a mistake of monumental proportions, and would be the final straw for a lot of people. Yeah, let’s drop the Auburn game because we can’t fit it in to the schedule, but we can still manage to play Florida Atlantic, Georgia Southern and Buffalo. Makes a lot of sense. I’m about done with all of this crap.
atlfan
February 9th, 2012
4:38 pm
9 game schedule = automatic bcs national title game bid for SEC Champs
Uga fan Sandy Springs
February 9th, 2012
4:39 pm
as a season ticket holder since 1993, this new Athletic Director is making me want to attend less and less home games. I for one would like for you to return to Gainesville. ugh!
BoTiger
February 9th, 2012
4:46 pm
Don’t end the UGA vs. Auburn game….they are like two brothers who go outside and fight it out, then shake hands and get up….there is no hatred between these two, just good ole SEC tradition….too much similarities between the two schools to end this storied tradition
The Governors
February 9th, 2012
4:49 pm
I don’t believe this will happen.
Auburn Jacket
February 9th, 2012
5:12 pm
If the SEC is so good, man up and play a 9 game conference schedule and keep your traditional rivalry games. Yes, you are 10-1 against Tech, but if you think that is an automatic win then why do you want to stop playing that game? Keep scheduling all of those weak OOC games and you might lose your Attendance Championships or your consecutive sell outs streak…
christophorm
February 9th, 2012
5:14 pm
I’d trade any rivalry for a playoff, so that, the special ones (alabama) would NOT be placed in the BCS game without winning their side of the SEC west.
News | MrSEC
February 9th, 2012
5:19 pm
[...] Additionally, McGarity makes it clear that some of the league’s oldest, most-stories, most-important rivalries could still go away: [...]
danny
February 9th, 2012
5:20 pm
Auburn and Georgia should not be sacrificed, by the way Lharding, what a moron.
Joe
February 9th, 2012
5:20 pm
It is real simple. With a 9 game schedule, Half will have 4 home SEC games per year and half will have 5 home games per year. That in itself will cause a home game schedule loss of money with the scheduling of just three games. With Tech on the schedule that game will have to fit as a home game the year GA has 4 SEC home Games. Therefore leaving two games to be added as home games. Thus some years they may have seven home games others they can only schedule six home games. So it all comes down to money for the home games. If that is not the case they could have at least six away games the year they have six home games. If you move Auburn to the east that will put Auburn and Alabama game on a rotational basis. It will also put the Tennessee Alabama Game on a roation basis too.
The national champions- 2 in 3 years
February 9th, 2012
5:21 pm
Eliminating AU-UGA and Bama-UT ought to be against the law. Something aint right about that. If Mike Slive gets those 2 games eliminated then I will personally cane pole him 4 million times.
ugab
February 9th, 2012
5:24 pm
Who cares about Auburn? Scam Cam!1
Beaker
February 9th, 2012
5:26 pm
UGA should play AU, FL, SC, and Tech every year; and perhaps TN. These are the most important games. All other games are much less importance to the fans. I personally wouldn’t travel to Athens to see Vandy or Miss State or similar teams.
Big Jim
February 9th, 2012
5:29 pm
As a tech fan, I will admit our coach sux, our offense is silly, and uga owns us…hard to say, but true none the less.
uga fans should also admit they are a middle of the pack, maybe upper middle, but middle none the less sec team. 5th best team in the sec last yr.
Represented themselves quite well in the championship game, as well against the only 3 other good teams they played last yr. Swap Ark and Bama for Vandy and Ole Miss, and you are 6-6, and watching bowl games on TV.
Most of the SEC is weak yr in and year out, uga scares no one..well maybe GT…admit it, it makes life easier.
SabanNation
February 9th, 2012
5:32 pm
There is no way that Alabama and Tennessee will stop playing each other. Maybe the rest of the Conference can play a 3 team rotation, but on the Third Saturday in October you will see Alabama and Tennessee playing each other. We can just rotate the other one. No team from the west gives a crap about playing Mizzou, Kentucky, USCe, or Vandy anyway.
2012 Preseason Fulmer Cup Champs
February 9th, 2012
5:39 pm
As an Auburn fan, I really don’t have a problem with it. I get sick of ignorant leg humper fans trash talking every year about how they’ll win the national title and NOT having to go to Athens would be just fine with me.
Have fun playing Ga Community College, leg humpers.
2012 Preseason Fulmer Cup Champs
February 9th, 2012
5:40 pm
“Who cares about Auburn? Scam Cam!1″
Exactly why I wouldn’t mind the series ending. Leg humper fans are ignorant trash.
ColumbDawg
February 9th, 2012
5:43 pm
The rest of the SEC teams need to realize that the Premier SEC Teams who are in these games are the reason the SEC can expand in the first place. Taking those games away would be dangerous and water down the appeal of the SEC. Like it or not, there are the “big boys” and the “others”
Auburn – Georgia
Alabama – Tennessee
Florida – LSU
The rest need to get in line and be quiet and accept their checks from the conference every year. The “others” may have a good run every once in a while but the above teams are the ones that pay the bills both historically and in the future.
Calico
February 9th, 2012
5:45 pm
Jacket Fan – those are bold words coming from the fan of a team that would NEVER make it in the SEC. How did the ACC fair in the BCS this year? Oh, that’s riiiiiiiiight…those were BOTH SEC teams in the championship.
Sting_em
February 9th, 2012
6:12 pm
In order to keep their osc/in state rivals intact. The SEC and ACC will have to work together. It makes scheduling much less flexible for all teams involved. The rest of the SEC & ACC have three dates to schedule home away series. UF FSU Clem USC GT & UGA will only have two games to work with.
endzn
February 9th, 2012
6:20 pm
As an AU grad..I say keep UGA and lose Bama. AU/UGA is a heated rivalry, but not spiteful, petty and malicious, as the UAT rivalry has become.
5150 UOAD
February 9th, 2012
6:37 pm
endzn…..grow a pair.
Dawg48
February 9th, 2012
6:42 pm
5150, you still hear?
Rooty Tooty
February 9th, 2012
6:51 pm
Why not drop Auburn so you can add Ft Valley State to your fluffy schedule