SEC drops Bama, adds Missouri for UGA’s new 2012 schedule
TAMPA — If Georgia does not repeat as Southeastern Conference Eastern Division champions in 2012, it will not have the schedule to blame.
The SEC on Wednesday finally released its new football schedules for next season and the Bulldogs made out well. They dropped the Oct. 6 game at Alabama and picked up a road game against new conference member Missouri in Columbia, Mo., on Sept. 8. Meanwhile, UGA’s traditional SEC opener against South Carolina was moved back to Oct. 6. That game will also be on the road, as originally scheduled.
The only other change for the Bulldogs was their game at Kentucky, originally scheduled for Oct. 13, moves back one week. That will eliminate what was originally an off week before the Florida game. However, the Gators also lose their off week before playing the Bulldogs, so neither team has an advantage.
Georgia’s non-conference opponents of Buffalo (Sept. 1), Florida Atlanta (Sept. 15), Georgia Southern (Nov. 17) and Georgia Tech (Nov. 24) remain the same.
“I don’t think anybody in this conference has an easy schedule,” Georgia Athletic Director Greg McGarity said Wednesday. “We have nothing to base a road game to Missouri on. There’s no question going to Columbia, Mo., is going to be a tremendous challenge. just like Florida going to Texas A&M is going to be. I know within our building nobody is thinking there’s anything easy about our schedule.”
Bulldogs coach Mark Richt declined comment on the new slate. “I think the focus should be this game and that’s what we’re going to be focued on,” he said. “I don’t want to get too far down the road. Let’s finish up this season and we’ll talk about those things in the future.”
McGarity said it’s important to note that Georgia is not replacing Alabama with Missouri. The Bulldogs simply are keeping Auburn as their traditional rival from the West and had to honor their return game with Ole Miss after playing the Rebels in Oxford last season.
It should also be noted that the new schedule, revamped to accommodate new conference members Missouri and Texas A&M, is intended for just one year. The SEC will reconvene in the spring to look at schedules for 2013 and beyond.
“The SEC transition team and our athletic directors did a great job with significant logistical challenges in a short time frame in developing the 2012 football conference schedule,” SEC Commissioner Mike Slive said. “The ability to come together for the conference is what makes the SEC so strong and that was evident yet again in this process.”
Said McGarity: “The entire scheduling process was difficult and the transition team led by the SEC office had to deal with some very difficult scheduling challenges and formats. That’s why it took a long time to make it through.”
McGarity remains skeptical that the league would go to nine conference games.
“It really restricts scheduling flexibility to do that, especially when it comes to traditional rivals and having a seven-game home schedule,” McGarity said. “That’s going to be very difficult to do.”
Georgia’s players were essentially oblivious to the changes.
“I really don’t pay attention to any of it,” sophomore linebacker Jarvis Jones said. “We just watch film, look at the personnel and line up and play. We can’t help who we play. We don’t make the schedule. So we just go out there any chance we get and try to make the best of it.”
Said fellow linebacker Alec Ogletree: “I didn’t know anything about it. I’m still trying to focus on this year and getting this last game over with. I’ll worry about next year when it’s time to.”
Here’s how the new slate looks:
2012 GEORGIA FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
- Sept. 1 Buffalo
- Sept. 8 at Missouri
- Sept. 15 Florida Atlantic
- Sept. 22 Vanderbilt
- Sept. 29 Tennessee
- Oct. 6 at S. Carolina
- Oct. 13 OPEN
- Oct. 20 at Kentucky
- Oct. 27 vs. Florida in Jacksonville
- Nov. 3 Ole Miss
- Nov. 10 at Auburn
- Nov. 17 Georgia Southern
- Nov. 24 Georgia Tech
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1,129 comments Add your comment
whodat1
December 29th, 2011
2:20 pm
Come on over to the SECW Georgia. Then your true colors will come out. You’ll be lucky to finish 4-4 in the conference.
Stinger
December 29th, 2011
2:28 pm
I see five losses for the Dawgs next year. Georgia Southern, South Carolina, Vandy, Auburn, and Tech. Can you say Shrievport City again?
damngooddawg!
December 29th, 2011
2:34 pm
Stinger, get your head out of your butt and you can see better, dilbert.
damngooddawg!
December 29th, 2011
2:37 pm
That’s rich. Techies commenting on real football programs. Go back to high school ball and win a rinky dink bowl game every once in a while. Utah is gonna kick your tail.
Bama Fan
December 29th, 2011
2:59 pm
Bama is playing for the national champioship and we won’t get slapped around and humiliated by LSU like Georgia did.
Meanwhile dog nuts, have fun in the Outback Bowl.
Bama Fan
December 29th, 2011
3:06 pm
Can you believe these dog nut fans? Bragging? They lost to Boise State and when they played a real team (LSU), got crushed at home in the Ga. Dome.
uga68
December 29th, 2011
3:21 pm
As a UGA fan currently working in Columbia, Mo. and have been to several games here. I can tell you firsthand they do not have any idea what is coming their way.Game day here is pretty lame. SEC teams coming to this town will be a great financial boost and make this town come alive.I think in time Mizzou fans will watch and learn and “get it”If you are a UGA planning on coming to the game here,book your hotel today. UGA fans are taking them all already.Let’s welcome our newest SEC brothers and show them whats its like to be a GEORGIA BULLDOG and SEC member.
whodat1
December 29th, 2011
4:00 pm
uga68, you might want to tell the folks in MO that the competition will step up a bit, when they have to play the SECW. It won’t be as easy as the game against Ga.
whodat1
December 29th, 2011
5:19 pm
why would i feel sorry for you alias? You need to play the tough teaams in the West, so you will get a feel for what the real side of the SEC is like.
tripwire
December 29th, 2011
10:07 pm
Enter your comments here
whodat1
December 30th, 2011
9:11 am
alais, you know and the rest of your gadawg buddies know that you can’t beat the SECW leader. Not only that, but you also can’t beat half the teams in the SECW. Get used to it. Heck, you even had them in your own back yard (atlanta)in the SECCG and couldn’t win.
Tom
December 30th, 2011
10:53 am
Wonder why Carolina did not have to “honor” our return game with Mississippi State? Athletic Director from UGA infers that this was a consideration for keeping Ole Miss on the schedule?
Jborodawg
December 30th, 2011
11:35 am
13-1 SEC Champions…(aka 4.2 GPA, Thomas Brown), Dec 29 2:16PM
You just made a fool of yourself, sir.
GATiger
December 30th, 2011
11:41 am
Looks like the Dawgs dodged bullets once again. Now let’s see how creative Richt can be next year. Reel in another top 10 recruiting class, play a cupcake schedule and underachieve. Should be a successful year, right up to the SECCG, where they’ll get blown out by UA or LSU…again.
ray
December 30th, 2011
1:19 pm
There are not too many bigger dawg fans out there than me. I have to admit that our OCS is pathetic. Schedule Miami or FSU. I get two weak games. 1- to open up with and 2–”homecoming.” There is no reason for any major school to have 3 weak games. Fla only has 6 wins this year because they beat Furman. None of the schools have any control over their SEC games. They have full control of their OCS. And this stuff, well schedules are set so far in advance blah blah blah. Yes they are, but in who’s lifetime is Fla Atlantic and Buffalo going to be a powerhouse.
ray
December 30th, 2011
1:22 pm
I would like to see a change in bowl qualifications. To qualify for a bowl game, either up the minimum to 7 wins and/or the 6 wins have to be against D1 teams. I am sorry if you have 6 wins and 1 or 2 wins are against D2 or FCS schools sorry you don’t qualify for a bowl. The 6 wins must come against D1 schools.
alais
December 30th, 2011
1:22 pm
@ WHOFART1, you are a moron
Blacklion1001
December 30th, 2011
2:29 pm
UGA isn’t that good. Proof will be when they get beat by Mizzou, and G. Southern. The best team is GA, is Georgia Southern by far. Put us on your schedule GT!
dswann5
December 30th, 2011
6:47 pm
love the schedule great job mcgarity off week before missouri and tech plus you get the bonus of a scrimmage game with southern to get us ready for techs offense haters go away who did south carolina play last year while we had to play boise state!!!!
mark
December 30th, 2011
10:18 pm
hey buckblue , I just scored again with your mother I was after a construction crew but hey i was before the basketball team
Director of Scheduling
December 31st, 2011
8:13 am
Blacklion1001, took care of that for you. Your Eagles are scheduled against Tech – 2015. You’re welcome.
ugab
December 31st, 2011
1:05 pm
I like the way the schedule is for next season. This is the SEC!!! There is not easy schedule. The dawgs still have to make it to the SEC championship and beat the winner of the SEC west. ??? Teams like Boise and Oregon have easy schedules. No SEC schedule is easy. The dawgs are losing OL this season.
ray
December 31st, 2011
5:13 pm
ugab, I am a huge dawg supporter and have been for many years. But I am sorry even in my most biased thoughts, there is no way can I say that our schedule is not easy. Kentucky, Vandy, Ol Miss year in and year out, these are wins and should be easy wins. These are the bottom dwellers. Every conference has them including our great SEC. Oregon had a tougher schedule than we did THIS year. NOW, when UT, Fla and Auburn gets back up, then we have a pretty tough schedule. But we still need to add one good OCC team. Our OCC schedule is and has been weak for many years. I think this hurts us when it comes to the Nat’l picture
JOHNNY3STEPS
December 31st, 2011
11:33 pm
PRES ADAMS, GIVE THAT AD A RAISE……………….LOL
antispyware 2011
January 1st, 2012
2:22 am
I read somewhere that the average cost of a 30sec ad spot is around 300k, for that reason I would think that spending far less to get youtube style video that people want to watch is well worth the investment. If the prize money is 5k, do you know what the total cost to the client is?
Louisiana-Monroe)Anyone?
January 1st, 2012
1:54 pm
boy, bama keeps lucking out in playing the weaker teams of the SEC E.
2011- UF, UT & Vandy
2012- UT & Mizz
another year that they only play SEC E teams w/ a sub .500 record. incredible!
Preston
January 1st, 2012
4:35 pm
This season and next season’s schedule really just seem easy because of the schedules that UGA has been playing for the past several years. If anyone deserves a break, it’s UGA. It won’t be too easy if UT, UF, and AU get back in shape anyway.
humble
January 3rd, 2012
9:23 am
Hey Dawgs ! At least you are expected to lose to Alabama, How embarrasesd ya goin to be draging whats left of that dawgs nub of a tail back home after another Tiger team takes a big bite out of it.
humble
January 3rd, 2012
9:53 am
Lets be realistic the UGA Dawgs are not a good team, or bad team. They will continue to beat the bad teams , lose to the good teams & split with the mediocre teams. That makes them an average team For verification look at the past schedules .