2012 SEC schedule works in Bulldogs’ favor
UGA fared pretty well in the revamped 2012 SEC football schedule released Wednesday morning.
It’s official that Georgia travels to Missouri Sept. 8 and the South Carolina game, traditionally the conference opener for the Dogs the past couple of decades, moves to Oct. 6, replacing the previously scheduled trip to Alabama.
The Dogs lose the open date ahead of Florida as the visit to Kentucky, originally scheduled for Oct. 13, moves to Oct. 20. But the Gators will have it even tougher, playing host to South Carolina the week before playing Georgia.
Here’s Georgia’s revised conference schedule: Sept. 8 at Missouri, Sept. 22 Vanderbilt in Athens, Sept. 29 Tennessee in Athens, Oct. 6 at South Carolina, Oct. 20 at Kentucky, Oct. 27 Florida in Jacksonville, Nov. 3 Ole Miss in Athens, Nov. 10 at Auburn. The nonconference home schedule looks to remain the same as before, facing Buffalo (Sept. 1), Florida Atlantic (Sept. 15), Georgia Southern (Nov. 17) and Georgia Tech (Nov. 24).
The bottom line is that the Dogs will again have a favorable conference schedule. South Carolina, on the other hand, must face LSU and Arkansas as its SEC West opponents. You can bet they’re not happy in Columbia.
As for the SEC opener against Missouri, that was widely anticipated so I tried to get a feel for Mizzou by watching a good bit of the Independence Bowl the other night. Unfortunately, North Carolina was such a dismal opponent that it was tough to tell just how good the Tigers were, though it’s obvious quarterback James Franklin, who passed for 132 yards and led Missouri in rushing with 142 yards, is dangerous.
Georgia looks to be the likely favorite again in the SEC East, barring too many losses of key players to the NFL draft. I wasn’t thrilled to hear this week that Branden Smith is one of the Dogs considering leaving early. No doubt the uncertainty about Smith is a factor in the Georgia coaches considering having star wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell possibly also play cornerback some next year, though it’s difficult to gauge just how serious they are about that. Let’s hope the continuing development of Nick Marshall at cornerback makes that unnecessary.
So, overall, I’d say the Dogs are sitting pretty for 2012. What do you think?
Got something on your mind concerning UGA athletics or a question for the Junkyard Blawg? Send it to junkyardblawg@gmail.com.
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232 comments Add your comment
Mike Bobo 17 INT
December 29th, 2011
12:01 pm
Vince Drooley…let’s add USC, Oklahoma and Texas to those crystal trophies…….
Wow!!! When you look at the “No Crystal Trophy” list, UGA is at the bottom with all the other SEC dredges….
Mike Bobo 17 INT
December 29th, 2011
12:03 pm
It’s all marketing in Athens, no one really cares about winning titles, but only getting drunk on game day then getting in everyone’s face about “wait until next year.”
Go Mizzou
December 29th, 2011
12:16 pm
Uga has another cupcake schedule in ‘12, and all they will get from that is another raise for the coach, and another embarrassing beatdown by the West champ, IF they can win the East. I think that either USCe or Mizzou will be the East champ with Uga probably 3d.
Columbus Dawg
December 29th, 2011
12:19 pm
Hey Bill, why would you not police your blog any better. Your blog gets highjacked by idiots a lot more than Chip’s blog, or so it seems anyway.
Morning Reads for Thursday, December 29th
December 29th, 2011
12:34 pm
[...] Conference rolled out schedules for the 2012 football season yesterday. Georgia’s schedule is favorable after dropping Alabama and picking up Missouri, which will join the SEC next year. – AMC will run a [...]
WDE
December 29th, 2011
12:52 pm
@Go Mizzou welcome to the SEC, the way it works here is once you have actually beaten someone then you get to talk trash…looking forward to welcoming you in our first SEC game next year, I do think the SEC office was correct in that being a home game for your bunch..by the way I watched your bowl game Congrats that was a good win.
Go Mizzou
December 29th, 2011
1:07 pm
Thanks, WDE, I also watched the SECCG, and I must admit your guys looked pretty good, for a little while, then reality set in. Even with your team’s cupcake schedule, I find it hard to believe they can repeat, and even if they do, they will get pasted again by the West.
WDE
December 29th, 2011
1:32 pm
@Go Mizzou you need to know the SEC East vs West is a cycle right now the West is ahead but hey UT, UF and UGA won’t be “down” long and we just added you guys who knows that might make the difference..
7576DAWG
December 29th, 2011
1:52 pm
What Missouri and Texas A& M will soon find out is all eight team’s they play from the SEC have the ability to beat you and there is no let up as far as preparing for the next game, That’s why the non conference game are usually cup cake games. First you need a great Quarterback . What makes him great instead of just good depend’s on if he is SMART enough not to make too many mistakes which will lose most of the close game’s. Next is depth from running back, linemen and defensive back’s . And third speed especially from your linebacker’s.
Actually Missouri and Texas A& M should fit in well with the SEC because they both believe in having a strong running game, unlike a lot of team’s in the Big 12.
7576DAWG
December 29th, 2011
2:17 pm
The only team’s that usually don’t have a depth problem is LSU and Alabama . One of our problem’s at Georgia has been depth but part of that problem was solved when we hired Grantham, that’s why it is so important to give him at least a 3 year extension and bump his salary up. He will probably be receptive to stay at Georgia a few more year’s and then he will be ready to become a head coach but we can take advantage of having a great defensive coordinator for 3 to 5 more year’s.
As much as I like Bobo he will never be head coach material . He can’t even manage all the offensive position’s and his low salary, for someone that has been coordinator for 5 year’s, confirms our AD feel’s the same way.
UGA fan...not fanatic
December 29th, 2011
2:24 pm
@Go Mizzou, will your team win the East?
Mark
December 29th, 2011
2:25 pm
GA. can have the cupcake schedule, USC plays a tougher shedule and I like it. Beat better opponents and get ranked higher. If GA. doesn’t win the east, it’s gonna look awfully embarrassing. Anyway, USC has beat GA. two in a row, chew on that little doggies
PureEvil
December 29th, 2011
2:49 pm
I think Mizzou will fall right around the middle of the pack in the SEC. I doubt they’ll ever win a division and it’s more likely they’ll be in a dog fight every year just to make bowl games.
Orange11
December 29th, 2011
2:52 pm
UGA losing the open date the week before the Florida game is a killer.
Orange11
December 29th, 2011
2:57 pm
“I think that either USCe or Mizzou will be the East champ with Uga probably 3d.”
Don’t count your chickens.
Mike Bobo 17 INT
December 29th, 2011
5:19 pm
Columbus Dawg
“If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.”
melanie
December 29th, 2011
6:36 pm
they should love this schedule because they do not play the big SEC teams like they should. Don’t you dog fans always say if you can’t play with the big dogs, stay on the porch? Well it looks like you are staying on the porch! Until this loser of a team & organization plays ‘Bama’, LSU, Arkansas they will be never considered a contender in the SEC…NEVER!! You are a sorry a** team who cannot play against the big boys. This is only going to make this team look weak & lousy. For once in this organization play the big teams & see what happens.
Bobdawg
December 29th, 2011
10:37 pm
Bama’s schedule just got easier also, folks. I want to see the whiners complain the next 6 years when we have all the top west teams each year
I Have no Blog handle
December 29th, 2011
10:37 pm
The interception moron thinks the school has control of the schedule, not the league office.
I Have no Blog handle
December 29th, 2011
10:38 pm
melanie
go make my breakfast idiot woman
SEC office makes the schedule, not the school
Melanie's husband
December 30th, 2011
8:11 am
Leave my wildabeast of a wife alone!!!
gbal
December 30th, 2011
8:48 am
Mo;enda – Uga was a contender in the sec znd will be next year as well… Maybe favorite by many… The fact that we did not draw LSU, Bamer, puts uga in even better position to contend in the SEC. Yor logic is idiotic.
gbal
December 30th, 2011
8:50 am
melanie
chazzo
December 30th, 2011
9:35 am
If UGA doesn’t let all of this talk about winning the East go to their collective head, they will have their match with Bama in Atlanta. Funny, nobody whined about UF’s or Bama’s easy schedules when they got the easy draw.
Go Dawgs! It’s all one game at a time starting with Michigan State on the 3rd.
DAWG55
December 30th, 2011
9:45 am
I worry about playing at Mizzou early in the season when they have a history of playing well, especially at home. Also on paper UGA, South Carolina and Mizzou look to be the strongest teams in the east. That early game will be big and we better be ready to play our best cause that’s what we are going to see from this new set of SEC Tigers. Tenn, Fla and Vandy are the darkhorses but they all may be better as well. A lot will depend on the next few weeks and how many of our players we are going to lose to the NFL. Bottom line is that it is way too early to predict the strength of the 2012 schedule.
Ty
December 30th, 2011
9:48 am
I hope Rambo, Smith, Jenkins, Charles, et al will stay put.
wreckmaniac
December 30th, 2011
10:10 am
Can’t wait to hear the old Koolaid factory tell us what a tough opponent Fla Atlantic is. Get ready for:
” Gosh. I’ve never seen a free safety as fast as ________ at Ole Miss” and ” We had better have our A game when we face Kentucky” and ” I know this Auburn team sees itself as the same team that won the nat champ two years ago “. This will really require some press conference creativity.
wreckmaniac
December 30th, 2011
10:13 am
Grantham ( alias Michelen man) can spend the entire season practicing to stop the Tech option which he has never done. He dosen’t have to worry about any other offense the dawgs play.
The toughest scrimmagees at UGA this fall will be during practice.
Mike Bobo 17 INT
December 30th, 2011
6:55 pm
I Have no Blog handle
UGA has nothing to do with the schedule, you are missing the point just like everyone else in Athens…..
Mike Bobo 17 INT
December 30th, 2011
6:57 pm
Grantham saved CMR’s job for now, and that is nothing to write home about. Until UGA starts beating LSU, Boise, OSU and Alabama then they can start bragging about their program, otherwise, call it a day.
Vic
January 2nd, 2012
2:43 pm
Wouldn’t a fan base want to play BIG games instead of avoiding them? Don’t really understand the UGA fans.
deandog
January 3rd, 2012
10:41 am
Any player in his right mind, after making the mistake of believing CMB and CMR’s lies about “we’re going to get better”, and we can win the big one, should bolt as soon as is practically possible. Why stay and be coached down?!! These coaches will NEVER win the big one.