UGA doesn’t need to play Curry’s Panthers
With the news that Alabama has signed a deal to play the nascent Georgia State football team in Tuscaloosa next year, it’s natural to wonder whether UGA would entertain scheduling the 1-AA Panthers.
Let’s hope not.
Playing 1-AA schools winds up being a necessity for SEC schools some seasons in order to fill out the home schedule with teams that don’t require a return visit. Thus Georgia is paying Tennessee Tech $475,000 to come to Athens this year and Bama is paying GSU $400,000 to visit the Tide in its first season of football competition.
The 1-AA schools can dream of an Appalachian State-over-Michigan type of upset, plus their players get to experience big-time football and the program gets a nice payday.
But generally there’s very little upside in these games for the host team. They’re expected to win easily over the 1-AA school, and if they don’t win by a wide enough margin, it can hurt in the polls, as happened last year when UGA lost the No. 1 spot after its victory over Georgia Southern was deemed underwhelming.
Playing an in-state 1-AA school can be viewed as a goodwill gesture and there certainly were a lot of UGA fans who initially were happy with the idea of the Dogs playing against Georgia Southern occasionally. But that was mainly a reflection of the high esteem Bulldog fans had for former GSU coach Erk Russell from his days in Athens. The two fandoms are very friendly and generally root for each other’s team when they’re not meeting at Sanford Stadium.
No such feeling exists in the Bulldog Nation for GSU coach Bill Curry, who is remembered from his days at Tech for his sanctimonious “Bring the cheaters to their knees” jibe at UGA. So there’s really no reason for the Dogs to play the Panthers in football.
There are lots of other 1-AA teams available when the need arises.
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106 comments Add your comment
Black Out 2009
June 18th, 2009
3:08 pm
We should play em at home and have a Black Out!
Who’s with me???
Gooooooooooooooooooooooooo Dawgs! Sic em! Hohohohohohohohohohoho!
Huh?
June 18th, 2009
3:15 pm
I will cheer for Georgia State, despite the fact that Curry is their coach. I am excited that Atlanta FINALLY has a college football program that native Atlantans such as myself can be proud of.
godawg
June 18th, 2009
3:19 pm
I’m just glad that this coaching gig got Curry out of the broadcast booth and I don’t have to listen to any more of his moronic comments. Thanks GSU!
WRich
June 18th, 2009
3:24 pm
I think UGA should play Georgia State if they need a IAA opponent. This would keep the money in-state and not let it go outside. I am UGA fan but went to Georgia State for graduate school so I will root for both teams. I think UGA should play Georgia State no metter who their coach is unless it was Steve Spurrier
RxDawg
June 18th, 2009
3:26 pm
Scared Bill?? I’m not. The Dawgs will play anyone anwhere anytime! Hehe
A Helluva Engineer
June 18th, 2009
3:30 pm
We will play em.
We arent scared like the puppies are.
Redneck mutt fans!!!
RAMBLE ON!!!
June 18th, 2009
3:37 pm
Yeah, and you would run the risk of becoming the 3rd best college team in the state too.
WTF???
June 18th, 2009
3:40 pm
Garner Webb????
RAMBLE ON!!!
June 18th, 2009
3:44 pm
Anybody know what time the Star Trek marathon starts on the Sci-Fi channel?
I sure hope it’s not the same time as Ren & Stimpy!
TechLover
June 18th, 2009
3:45 pm
I wonder if they like tickle piles at GSU as much as we do at Tech?
JTK
June 18th, 2009
3:47 pm
I totally agree with WRich. Why shouldn’t UGA play GSU? It would be nice for the state’s biggest football program to throw a bone, so to speak, to the new Panther program. What would it hurt? There would be a hell of a lot more buzz around this game than lame affairs vs. Tennessee Tech or whatever other out of state team.
ROLL TIDE
June 18th, 2009
3:49 pm
Bill, we do not need to play Georgia State either.
Huh?
June 18th, 2009
3:50 pm
Since more Georgia State alums are local and don’t move back to Bangkok or whatever after graduation, it will be only a matter of time before they are filling up the seats for football games. There will be no need for free hot dog and coke promotions, annoying pop up ads on the AJC, or Big Boi halftime performances. Such pathetic and desperate measures will not be necessary.
Cuz
June 18th, 2009
3:53 pm
Bring on Coach Clouseau and the Pink Panthers.
reservoirDAWG
June 18th, 2009
3:55 pm
Throw em a bone if we need to fill a spot.
Pi$$onaDAWG
June 18th, 2009
3:56 pm
No Tickle Piles at GSU because GSU students have to catch MARTA/drive home and go to work the nextday. Unlike UGA Students (Dumb.Ass.White.Girls) heading to the next drunk’n, make me your dog b**ch when I passout in your dorm/bedroom party GSU students have a REAL LIFE not mommy and daddy’s money badly spent on drugs and parties.
SouthernGSU
June 18th, 2009
3:57 pm
I love how Ga State is now considered GSU. GSU= Georgia Southern. Ga State= Georgia State.
Just needed to clarify that for you guys.
reservoirDAWG
June 18th, 2009
4:01 pm
I think POAD got beat up in Athens.
m
June 18th, 2009
4:03 pm
ugag definitely should not schedule ga state….especially when you take into account that ugag has not has any recent success in the state of georgia.
45-42…it never gets old.
SOUTHSIDE DAWG
June 18th, 2009
4:05 pm
Like SouthernGSU said UGA already plays the real GSU. Why has it taken tech so long to play the real GSU? Maybe they didnt want to be the 3rd best team in the state. Plus the real GSU would have more fans in the staduim than gt
A Helluva Engineer
June 18th, 2009
4:06 pm
Ha! I like Pi$$onaDAWG.
Sounds like he knows what he is talking about. Athens is a dump.
UGAY is too busy scheduling powerhouses like Western Michigan so NoShow Moredouche can leap over a player. Then the Mutt fans can make a painting of it to hang on the trailer wall in Winder.
Pi$$onaDAWG
June 18th, 2009
4:06 pm
WTF! say something about Jax State that beat you in BASEBALL and we beat in football.
Ramblinwreck1378
June 18th, 2009
4:09 pm
I definitely think the blackout works well for Georgia. You guys should do it more often.
It’s funny how people still lobby for it even after you got embarassed on your home field on national television in those hideous things.
J Smurf
June 18th, 2009
4:09 pm
Many of the state’s top recruits that go to big time colleges – in or out of state – that want to come back to the state of Georgia, specifically the Atlanta area for lack of playing time, to be closer to home, academic issues, etc., now have a place to come and play immediately. They can come right back to Atlanta now, not Statesboro, Carrollton, or Valdosta. Mark my word, this program will rise much like the South Florida football program. South Florida made the jump to 1A in 4 years!!! They play their home games at the Tampa Bay Bucs stadium. AND, they have nowhere near the student and alumni base that Georgia State does. I’m a HUGE Dawg fan and a moderate fan of Georgia Southern (hate Tech of course) with no connection to Georgia State, but the resources and support surrounding this Georgia State football program is pretty neat. This program will surpass Georgia Southern in a very short period of time.
A Helluva Engineer
June 18th, 2009
4:10 pm
Oh, yeah. In case you neck mutt fans forgot…..45-42!
Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!!
Gooooooooooooo Dawgs! Sic em! hohohohohohohoho.
Ramblinwreck1378
June 18th, 2009
4:10 pm
Also, you all are right when you say that we would become the third best team in the state if we played one of the GSU’s. Because we definitely weren’t the best team in the state last year, and we also didn’t beat Georgia, in Athens.
A Helluva Engineer
June 18th, 2009
4:12 pm
Hey Ramblinwreck1378….
I think the Black Out did work well for em last year. Just look how intimidated Bama and Saban were coming into Sanford and Son Stadium.
Bwaaaaaaaaa!!!!!! Hahahahahahahahaha! What a joke!
A Helluva Engineer
June 18th, 2009
4:14 pm
Seriously, I don’t smoke poles.
Pago Flyer
June 18th, 2009
4:15 pm
Keeping the money in Georgia is a good idea. Ohio State always plays at least one MAC team and Michigan and Michigan State each play a MAC team, keeping the money in state.
A sHelluva Engineer
June 18th, 2009
4:19 pm
I want my mommy!
Dawgdays
June 18th, 2009
4:21 pm
GSU (the local one) is a fine school and will breed a fine F-Ball program. I look forward to supporting it.
BS UGA 1990
MBA GSU 2005
PMC
June 18th, 2009
4:27 pm
If they are going to waste money playing any 1AA school and people are going to waste thier money watching the game they should ABSOLUTELY be helping out Georgia State with a paycheck.
PMC
June 18th, 2009
4:27 pm
The NCAA should just eliminate all 1AA scheduling.
SOUTHSIDE DAWG
June 18th, 2009
4:27 pm
Why did it take hiring pj to get a date to play GSU? Why doesnt tech try and help the other lower division colleges in the state by playing them once every four years like UGA?
BULLSEYE
June 18th, 2009
4:28 pm
Georgia State University is The University of Georgia.
eBuzz
June 18th, 2009
4:30 pm
Agree with godawg about getting Curry out of the broadcast booth and with Bill King about Curry being sanctimonious. One of the best things to happen to Tech in the 80’s was this egomaniac going to Bama, who will looking at about an 80 – zip score when they play, and may be just the first quarter. Let the blood flow, and it’ll be guaranteed that the Tech alum that remember him will enjoy this fiasco just as much. State probably wouldn’t be able to beat Cross Keys, and Warner Robins or Lowndes would crush them.
Unfortunately, in its naivity, State turned to this clown, probably more for publicity than for results. This is a failure in progress. No stadium. No practiced field. Apathetic alum, who wouldn’t turn out to watch some very good Lefty Drissel B-Ball teams. Kennesaw State; however, sitting out in the suburbs will have a much better chance of succeeding when it gets around to fielding a football team.
Now, ask me how I really feel?
shane#1
June 18th, 2009
4:31 pm
Sure, play’em and keep the money in State. Maybe with CPJ Tech will quit ducking Ga Southern so they can play Samford. I want to see all the programs in this state make it big, even Tech’s!
G State Ben
June 18th, 2009
4:31 pm
To the incessantly ignorant, I’ll apply another history lesson:
Georgia State: In 1961, other programs at the school had grown large enough that the name was shortened to “Georgia State College.” It became Georgia State University in 1969.
Georgia Southern: 1959, the school became known as Georgia Southern College when it became a senior college within the University System of Georgia. In 1968, the college received the authority to reorganize into separate schools of arts and science, education, and business. In 1990, the school was granted university status and became the first regional university in the University System of Georgia.
Georgia State had the GSU name 21 years before the cow folk in Statesboro. Georgia State will play anyone, anywhere. We aren’t going anywhere and the Georgia Southern and Georgia Tech faithful should be concerned. We’ve already stolen players from C-USA and ACC schools (see Little, Drew who had an offer to play at Boston College but choose to stay at home).
Time for the Panthers to roar!
Matt
June 18th, 2009
4:32 pm
As mentioned earlier, Ga State should be able to build up a respectable program fairly quickly. The Panthers should be the 3rd best Ga school in a decade. I’m surprised that an SEC school jumped up and scheduled them so soon though.
Hairy Dawg
June 18th, 2009
4:34 pm
My parents are both Georgia State grads. Georgia State is the “real” GSU. It became a university in 1969. Georgia Southern didn’t become a university until 1990.
We’d kick either a**, so it doesn’t really matter. Just know that Georgia State is a larger and better university than Georgia Southern.
Pi$$onaDAWG
June 18th, 2009
4:34 pm
Dawgdays why all the DATES that match to a George ? Bush Presidentancy? You didn’t know BS in 1990 so you went back to school because you studied nothing worth selling in the market place? 2005 and that wa a BUSH in office too and you know nothing because you wanted to be the SMART person working at the WAL-MART?
Pi$$onaDAWG
June 18th, 2009
4:35 pm
Talk crap early to the GSU fans and maybe we can draw them in to the WEB.
WRich
June 18th, 2009
4:38 pm
All you Georgia Southern University people who claim that you are the real GSU should check your history. You did not even become a university until 1989 long after the real GSU – Georgia State. You should also look your web-page where your address ins georgiasouthern.edu. When you put in the page gsu.edu, the real GSU,Georgia State University comes up. GSU stands for Georgia State not the johny come lately Georgia Southern.
A Helluva Engineer
June 18th, 2009
4:38 pm
Georgia State is a better school than UGAY.
J Smurf
June 18th, 2009
4:43 pm
eBuzz, GSU already has a stadium….it’s the Georgia Dome.
Ramblinwreck1378
June 18th, 2009
4:44 pm
Georgia State: You’re never going to be the power that is the University of Georgia. Nor will you ever be the competitive football program that is Georgia Tech. I’m sorry. Too much prestige, too much history, too much passion.
Junior
June 18th, 2009
4:45 pm
Don’t worry GSouth podunks. We will be kickin your azz soon enough. I am sure recruits would much rather play at the Georgia Dome in the city of Atlanta rather than 4 hrs down I-16 in a glorified high school stadium, that you have to evactuate every couple of months or so when a hurricane comes. I see your future Fake GSU and it sounds a lot like Division II.
Ramblinwreckon285
June 18th, 2009
4:51 pm
Tech will soon be the 4th best in the state, WRITE IT DOWN!
Bishop
June 18th, 2009
4:52 pm
Hey Ramblinwreck1378, I know you are afraid of the sleeping giant which is GSU. 30,000 students, over 100,000 alumni and more CEO alums than you and UGA combined. I know that you are mad that despite 4 national championships, and the Heisman Trophy being named after your coaches that you still cant get 40,000 fans in that overly small stadium. That is because if the real Tech alums (those that actually graduated) showed up to the games it would look like a soccer match between India and Pakistan.
stoopid
June 18th, 2009
4:53 pm
it blows me away when i see loser tech fans making fun of UGA’s schedule. i mean really?? youre entire schedule is one big joke. Seems to me that GSU is bout yalls level. as in not relevant in the state.