New game plan needed for Saturdays at Sanford
Will this scene from last year's New Mexico State game become more common at Sanford Stadium? (Brant Sanderlin / AJC)
Last week, the UGA Athletic Association sent out a note to Bulldog Club members offering the opportunity to purchase additional single-game tickets to three home football games — Buffalo, Florida Atlantic and Vanderbilt — as well as single nonrenewable season tickets.
One of my brothers was interested in getting some seats to the Vandy game, so I called the ticket office to place an order. Before I could tell the guy what I wanted, he eagerly inquired, “How many for Buffalo can I sell you?”
I got the feeling they’re just a little anxious about unloading seats to that Sept. 1 game.
And that may not be the only Saturday this season when we’re facing the prospect of empty seats beyond the few thousand in the student section that have been going unused for some time now.
With only the two Tennessee schools and Ole Miss coming to Athens from the SEC and a nonconference slate consisting of Buffalo, Florida Atlantic and Georgia Southern (besides the certain sell-out against the Yellow Jackets), the 2012 home schedule is one of the weakest in memory.
I understand the strategic reasoning behind Greg McGarity’s scheduling philosophy, imported from the University of Florida, and it may indeed increase the odds of UGA winning a championship. But a steady diet of cupcakes isn’t likely to be much help in goosing gate receipts likely already buffeted by a so-so economy.
Combine the lackluster lineup of opponents with saturation TV coverage and the increasing restrictions in recent years on football season parking and tailgating on the UGA campus, and it’s no wonder so many folks (especially young alumni) find it tempting to watch the Dawgs on a 40-inch HD TV rather than make the trek to Athens.
There are, of course, things that could be done to help the situation, besides adding the occasional opponent like Clemson to the lineup. For instance, relaxing the restrictions on tailgating. For many fans, especially the younger alums, that has put a real damper on the game day experience in the Classic City. Who knows, Michael Adams’ replacement as UGA president might decide to loosen things up a bit.
That doesn’t mean I’m advocating no-holds-barred tailgating. Again, I understand UGA’s reasoning there. Before the crackdown a couple of years ago, the North Campus tailgating scene had gotten out of control, with an uncomfortable crush of people crowded into the historic quadrangles and a corresponding increase in garbage left behind and problems with drunks relieving themselves in and around the campus buildings. It was hurting the university’s image.
But surely there’s some middle ground. Perhaps requiring fans to pay to tailgate in a more heavily controlled environment is the answer.
Snoozers against opponents like Coastal Carolina don't help draw fans to Athens. (Brant Sanderlin / AJC)
Another helpful move would be to shift games like Buffalo or Florida Atlantic to the evening whenever possible. (Frequently, it won’t be possible thanks to the conference television deal, the chief culprit behind some of those ridiculously early kickoff times).
Evening games would help because, even if you still want to tailgate in the current unrestricted areas and aren’t put off by the level of opponent being scheduled, there’s not much time for setting up and enjoying the socializing that is such a part of tailgating with a noon kickoff. Not only would playing these games at night make for a more comfortable experience inside the stadium amid the late-summer heat, it would perhaps entice more folks to come spend the day or night, boosting the Athens economy.
Of course, not everyone would like that solution. Besides the TV complication, one of the main arguments against night games at UGA in the past has been that they inconvenience fans from South Georgia who want to drive home afterward. But the reality is that the majority of the fan base of the future lives in metro Atlanta, not south of the gnat line. And many of them don’t really want to get up before sunrise to rush over to Athens and gulp down a hurried tailgate spread in order to make it into the stadium in time for an early kickoff.
I realize that not every season is going to have as unattractive a home schedule as this year’s. But there are growing challenges facing the athletic association in making sure UGA remains among the attendance leaders in college football, and they need to be addressed.
What are your thoughts on how to improve game days in Athens?
Got something you want to discuss concerning UGA athletics or a question for the Junkyard Blawg? Send it to junkyardblawg@gmail.com.
Find me on Facebook.
Follow me on Twitter.
— Bill King, Junkyard Blawg
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
186 comments Add your comment
SSIgator
May 9th, 2012
12:56 pm
“It was hurting the university’s image”
No, it is called “The Georgia Way” according to Richt.
SLOBBERKNOCKER
May 9th, 2012
1:16 pm
Gotta agree about the weeny schedule. As a season ticket holder for years it’s getting to the point where I’m rethinking season tickets and just going to the “good” games of which there are 3 this year. That’s four patsies. Not good.
bucket
May 9th, 2012
1:17 pm
Bill, thanks for trying to have an adult conversation on the Junkyard Blawg about some serious gameday issues @ UGA. Haters with “UGA Obsession Disorder”, thanks for making that darn near impossible.
Mobile Dawg
May 9th, 2012
1:25 pm
SSI, what do you think about Muschamp? Is there enough substance behind the fire for him to be successful in Gainesville?
Fridawg
May 9th, 2012
1:29 pm
I don’t think there’s really a problem with Game Day in Athens. The stadium stays full (mostly). I attribute the empty seats solely to the new student ticket process. We’re talking about selling nearly 100,000 seats in May for a September game. Remember… at least we’re not Tech having to advertise everywhere all year long to have a 30,000 show up.
Al
May 9th, 2012
1:32 pm
A better brand of football on the field would help, not this play not to lose mentality that Richt goes by.
8-4, 9-3 at best this yr. Free Hutson Mason!!!
Cdpridg
May 9th, 2012
1:32 pm
You can do as I and MOVE from s Ga…as I did. Really driving in any direction you have to drive 3hrs to get to any sort of civilization. Valdosta the only decent place to live besides the Golden Isles
Smokewagon
May 9th, 2012
1:44 pm
What is needed is a new fan base at UGA. I have never seen so many tired a_ _ ed people in my life gathered at a football game. Noise and excitement of any caliber is non-existant. I have been given harsh looks by fans just trying to generate some excitement. I sure the lack fan energy reverberates to the players resulting in lackluster play from time to time. There is no 12th man at Sanford.
DePort
May 9th, 2012
1:47 pm
How about someone just give me some more money and I will go to every game I can! Spend my money on bills and living expenses … or spend it on game tickets and starve?
DePort
May 9th, 2012
1:50 pm
You cant have a 12th man at Sanford since half the student population doesnt show up anymore. You are right though .. people do give you a weird look when your actually excited about your team… Thats sad!
South Georgia Dog
May 9th, 2012
1:52 pm
Vince Dooley was the last AD we had who valued South Georgia fans and alumni.
bucket
May 9th, 2012
1:59 pm
As far as the schedule, it is what it is for this year. McGarity has zero control over the SEC schedule. UGA doesn’t have any schools visiting in-conference that are considered conference contenders, but Vandy will be interesting because of the ending to last year’s game. Tennessee is Tennessee regardless of whether they are on top or not. As far as OOC, McGarity obviously learned well at the feet of Foley in Florida and has been observing the OOC schedule of the other SEC teams that have been winning recently. The GTech game is a rivalry and will always be interesting.
Alphare
May 9th, 2012
2:01 pm
The problem for UGA is, if you have a decent schedule, you lose to the better teams, if you have a weak schedule, you get ridiculed even if you win them all.
It’s a no-win situation.
Still@theKool-aidBAR
May 9th, 2012
2:09 pm
Alphare…………you don’t get better playing easy teams.
ElvinBishopBand
May 9th, 2012
2:16 pm
The Gators will win the East this year regardless to Georgiee’s easy schedule. UT will scare the heck out of you as well.
Ray Goof's Hat
May 9th, 2012
2:17 pm
The dig about UF’s OOC schedule is really overstated. UF’s annual instate rival FSU is a much stronger opponent than Tech. In the last 10 years, UF had 3 seasons where is played both the Noles and the Canes, and UF will do that again next season. In between they’ve thrown in USF, Southern Miss, Hawaii, UCF. In other words, UF does about what everyone else in the SEC does, including Georgia.
kingdaddy
May 9th, 2012
2:20 pm
#1. Charge a SMALL fee for tailgating so you can add more porta-potties, add a few security guards and get a student-led cleanup. Some students could use the money!
#2. Only a couple of early games…
#3. Play a better schedule! If we aren’t good enough to beat a good team, then we aren’t good enough to call ourselves a good team. Its how you get better…
kingdaddy
May 9th, 2012
2:24 pm
EBB
Alabama will lose its opener. I’ll bet they are scared too…
Still@theKool-aidBAR
May 9th, 2012
2:29 pm
Ray Goof’s Hat….Funny Tech has beat FSU the last few times they have met, but FSU is more Difficult for the Gators than Tech is for UGA? not using your best logic.
Still@theKool-aidBAR
May 9th, 2012
2:32 pm
Sept 1 UGa fans could better spend their money Going to see Auburn v Clemson in the Dome over Buffalo Tween the Shrubs.
SSIgator
May 9th, 2012
2:36 pm
What? It is after 2:30pm and no sign of DawginLex yet? I guess Nancy is having a late lunch with the girls. Either that or she had a little too much wine with her salad and needed to have a little mid-afternoon nap before making her entrance here today. Maybe we will get to chat with her later.
The only way UGA (or any team)...
May 9th, 2012
2:36 pm
Enter your comments here
Ray Goof's Hat
May 9th, 2012
2:39 pm
Still@theKool-aidBAR….I was wondering why you mentioned only the last two times that FSU and Tech played, both Tech wins. Hmm. Does it have anything to do with the fact that FSU won the previous TWELVE consecutive meetings? But please, continue your lesson about logic…
SSIgator
May 9th, 2012
2:41 pm
Wait a minute, Altamahadawg isn’t here either. Oh, I get it . . .
Devil's Advocate
May 9th, 2012
2:44 pm
People need to stop whining about schedules. You can’t have it both ways. When UGA is beating up cupcakes people complain and want to see a bigger name OOC. If that bigger name is down then people don’t count it as a big game. If that bigger name wins then people complain and say UGA shouldn’t schedule big OOC games because the schedule is already too tough with the SEC and Tech. So what’s it going to be?
All I know is the most successful programs generally schedule the same types of OOC games. Bama and Florida have beat up on cupcakes for decades. Just about all major BCS teams have stepped up and added a significant OOC game the past decade because of the expanded schedule and TV deals so no team can really claim bragging rights. UGA has been playing OSU, ASU, Colorado, and Boise State with upcoming series against Clemson, Louisville and tOSU. Bama has played several Chick-fil-a games and the Penn State home-and-home. Tennessee is honestly the pioneer in the SEC for scheduling tough OOC games before it became the thing to do this decade.
In general, I can’t think of a team who has won their conference or the BCS that hasn’t been a very good to great team. Sure, we can debate all day if someone else who didn’t play them could have beaten them but that’s college football. So at the end of the day, regular season schedules only matter for wins and loses.
All the people bashing UGA last season and this season are wasting their efforts because the proof will be in the pudding. Was UGA a Top 10 team in 2011? No, and their loses to Boise, SC, LSU, and Michigan State proved it. Is UGA a Top 10 team in 2012? We’ll see but they’d have to win 11+ games to do it including the SECCG. So complaining isn’t going to benefit anyone.
Still@theKool-aidBAR
May 9th, 2012
2:45 pm
ray goof’s AZZ hat……..that is because TECH doesn’t play FSU every year anymore. those wins you are talking about were before 2003.
you said ” UF’s annual instate rival FSU is a much stronger opponent than Tech. In the last 10 years” so Tech is 2-1 against FSU in that time.
ARdawg
May 9th, 2012
2:51 pm
The quickest most surest way to round up all the Tech Trolls of the world is to open up a UGA thread, isn’t it?
ARdawg
May 9th, 2012
2:54 pm
Stillthebar, what happened to you, you use to at least discuss football, now just useless troll blather
SSI
Goof Hat
EBB
Yep, they’re all here
We Need Cup Cakes
May 9th, 2012
3:01 pm
We need cupcakes!!! OkSt=loss, Colorado=loss, Boise state=loss…you retards don’t get it…if you lose ONE game you are done….would rather play the cupcakes on the schedule and in return have a trip to the dome and/or to the NC-Game….
How many of you know when Florida won there last National Championship? Name there entire schedule from that year…exactly….know body remembers or cares…We Need CupCakes….
Ray Goof's Hat
May 9th, 2012
3:01 pm
Kool-aidSluper – I will give you due credit for understanding basic punctuation, and therefore understanding what a period means, but nice try on your creative reading of my post. Where was Tech while FSU was winning 12 ACC titles in 14 years?
Still@theKool-aidBAR
May 9th, 2012
3:03 pm
I was talking football.
I told the dawg fans that they are getting screwed by having to pay for these crappy games.
Still@theKool-aidBAR
May 9th, 2012
3:06 pm
Tech shares an ACC title with FSU one of those years. FSU was finishing in the top5 those years too. Where was UGa? Getting beat by the Gators?
Ray Goof's Hat
May 9th, 2012
3:12 pm
Yep, they sure were. It’s the circle of life. UF beats UGA, and UGA beats Tech.
Mobile Dawg
May 9th, 2012
3:37 pm
Tell you what I would pay good money to see, DawginLex and SSI meeting in an enclosed cage, with Altamaha as the referee. Maybe that could be a “pregame” festivity in Jacksonville this year. SSI can’t carry on a coversation, answer a question, just hurl juvenile insults for sport.
ole yeller
May 9th, 2012
3:58 pm
I don’t know way the fuss about ticket sales for the cup cakes. When it get close to game time in Sept. the tickets will be gone. Why, because there are a lot of folks who want get to see this team play unless they see a cup cake. My guess is once these Dawgs Cowboy up everyone is going to want to see them. They are going to be special.
UGA forester
May 9th, 2012
3:59 pm
I have season tickets and I may not make it to the first game. Why do I want to see 1/2 a defense play a no name team. With McGarity’s cup cake schedule and tougher than you student athlete policy, he has to sleep in the bed he made.
Still@theKool-aidBAR
May 9th, 2012
4:07 pm
Early season Thursday Night Games are better than Sat. Noon games in the heat.
Tull
May 9th, 2012
4:08 pm
Bill, I love your articles and you are always spot on and honest. Have you heard the new parking nightmare some idiot came up with concerning parking decks. I got and email saying there was new exciting news concerning parking decks. They came up with a lottery system. You put your name in and your preferences and they draw it out and sell you a space in the deck that still remains on your list. I have tailgated with the same 2 families for 15 years and we always park in the South deck. Now we have to put out name in the hat for the lottery. What chance do we have of all 3 getting in the same deck – zero! We now can not tailgate together without moving out of the deck to who knows where! This has to be a nightmare for lots of tailgaters that part in the deck. I know there is a group from Clinch Co. that has several tents at the south deck and tons of them tailgate together. What chance do they have of getting in the same deck – zero. It seems the goal of someone at UGA is to totally destroy the tailgating experience in Athens. I am a 1976 grad that never misses a game and they have about turned me into thinking of watching that big screen at home. I sent McGarity and email voicing my concerns and talked to the Athletic Dept and no one seems to care. It’s a sad day when you can’t go to a Dawgs game and not tailgate like the good ole days.
TrueDawg
May 9th, 2012
4:09 pm
Get Adams out of there and everything will be better I guarentee it!
Cdpridg
May 9th, 2012
4:15 pm
Kool aid guy…STOP with your assinine debate of tech verses fsu. FSU is a respected top 20 to top 25 program. Tech average in a horrible conference. I will give you overall abt the 50th best program in the nation. FSU and Va Tech are the only competitive programs in the conf worth speaking of. Tech..no fanbase…no facilities…cant recruit in their own state…you recruit with the likes of Midd Tenn in Murfreesboro..lol! Tech is just an embarassment…PeRIOD!
Skitty Fritty
May 9th, 2012
4:19 pm
The other big problem which may cause me to cancel my season tickets next year is the traffic patterns or herding after the games. It takes me over an hour to get out of Athens to try and get back to Metro Atlanta because the local police won’t let you make any turns, etc. The traffic plan after football games is terrible. I have driving to games from Atlanta for over 20 years and it takes longer than ever to get home because of the traffic plan the local police make you follow. It is a joke.
Still@theKool-aidBAR
May 9th, 2012
4:21 pm
Cdpridg….you are a dwag with all those advantages you say FSU has and what are your mutts? Average SEC team and an embarrassment to the state with all the arrests. Any Mo Ron can get in UGa & pass classes to play football same as FSU.
Tide is rolling and nothing can stop it
May 9th, 2012
4:22 pm
New game plan needed in Athens?!? It took you 30 years to figure that out?
Skitty Fritty
May 9th, 2012
4:23 pm
Tide is Rolling:
It won’t be too much longer when Saban leaves and Bama gets back to the Shula years again.
Skitty Fritty
May 9th, 2012
4:24 pm
Tide Fan:
When do you play LSU again for the best 2 out of 3?
Still@theKool-aidBAR
May 9th, 2012
4:26 pm
Tull…….are you just now figuring out the Athletic Department could careless about what FANS want? They KNOW fools and their money are easily parted no matter what they do to make the games day experience worse. All these people say they will not go to the games or buy tickets are not going to do it and UGa knows the Sheep/ Lemmings will keep coming back. Fans can’t Brag about how Huge the Athletic Budget is and on the other hand complain about being Pimped for everything about gamedays.
Cdpridg
May 9th, 2012
4:48 pm
Kool aid…what are the Dawgs…respected top 20 program playing in the toughest conf in America that has dominated your rearend going on 6 decades now. How is that for ya bub??
SSIgator
May 9th, 2012
4:57 pm
Mobile Dawg -
RE: Your inquiry @ Will as the Gators coach
I have no idea, but here is a link that you can keep up to date with – gatorzone.com
RE: Your pre-game entertainment at the Gator Bowl this year
DawginLex has already been notified where we park each year – in our reserved space in the Touchdown Lot on the East side of the stadium. You and AltamahaDawg are also welcome, but let me know in advance so I will make sure we have enough snacks and beer for extra visitors. DawginLex can share some wine with my wife and her friends.
Jim
May 9th, 2012
4:57 pm
Allot tickets to all boy scout, Police officers,and Military members at a price they can’t refuse. It’s a shame when Alabama averages more people at their spring game than we do during the regular season.
Top Dawg
May 9th, 2012
5:05 pm
Here’s an idea: Erase from my memory that CMR put up with Willie Martinez as long as he did, and I will consider attending another game. Every time I think about CWM and how long he was allowed to hang around UGA I get disgusted all over again.