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Jeff Schultz: Deep South's Oldest Rivalry at risk
Posted on 2/8/12 at 2:22 pm
Posted on 2/8/12 at 2:22 pm
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quote:
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 1893. 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 [know] 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.”
This post was edited on 2/8/12 at 2:29 pm
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Posted on 2/8/12 at 2:24 pm to Swoopin
Should we get the lawmakers involved like in SC to protect their rivalry with Clemson? 
Posted on 2/8/12 at 2:25 pm to Swoopin
quote:
Deep South's Oldest Rivalry
LSU vs. Tulane?
Posted on 2/8/12 at 2:26 pm to DawgFARKer
I don't understand why we wouldn't go to a 9 game conference schedule. It makes the most sense. Everyone else is doing it too.
Posted on 2/8/12 at 2:26 pm to Swoopin
Yeah, but you guys get to play TAMU and Mizzou now. That totally makes up for losing a 120 year tradition.
Posted on 2/8/12 at 2:34 pm to Swoopin
I really hope that doesn't happen, but unfortunately I do think this game will ultimately be a casualty of expansion.
This post was edited on 2/8/12 at 2:35 pm
Posted on 2/8/12 at 2:34 pm to DawgFARKer
quote:
Should we get the lawmakers involved like in SC to protect their rivalry with Clemson?
Seems it would be easier to do in one state. Imagine alabama and georgia lawmakers trying to agree to this - the first order of business would be a disagreement on where to meet to discuss it.
Posted on 2/8/12 at 2:35 pm to DawgFARKer
Question: If this happens and the 4 programs scheduled eachother as OOC series for off years, would that be the biggest collective "Like a boss" move in the history of college sports?
Posted on 2/8/12 at 2:35 pm to Choctaw
quote:
LSU vs. Tulane?
No
Posted on 2/8/12 at 2:37 pm to wmr
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That totally makes up for losing a 120 year tradition.
Think of the children
Posted on 2/8/12 at 2:38 pm to Swoopin
Bama going to Hawaii was like a boss.
Posted on 2/8/12 at 2:38 pm to Swoopin
quote:
Question: If this happens and the 4 programs scheduled eachother as OOC series for off years, would that be the biggest collective "Like a boss" move in the history of college sports?
I hope it happens. And at halftime of the first game the bands can go onto the field together and spell "frick off Slive".
Posted on 2/8/12 at 2:41 pm to Robot Santa
If they screw up Bama/Tenn and Au/Ga every year, they may as well go ahead and move Auburn to the east and forget instate rivalries too.
Posted on 2/8/12 at 2:41 pm to Swoopin
quote:
the 4 programs scheduled eachother as OOC series for off years, would that be the biggest collective "Like a boss" move in the history of college sports?
Posted on 2/8/12 at 2:42 pm to Swoopin
frick what the other 10 schools think!!
If we lose UGA, im burnung College Station to the ground...Caresh style!!
If we lose UGA, im burnung College Station to the ground...Caresh style!!
Posted on 2/8/12 at 2:42 pm to plazadweller
quote:
Jeff Schultz: Deep South's Oldest Rivalry at risk
quote:
LSU vs. Tulane?
No
same year
and fwiw you who have these rival games, set up a non conference game vs them if it means so much to you cause they need to go bye bye
Posted on 2/8/12 at 2:43 pm to Swoopin
If the rest of the SEC does that, frick'em.
Sign UGA to an out-of-conference game.
Sign UGA to an out-of-conference game.
Posted on 2/8/12 at 2:44 pm to Swoopin
as a fan and customer, I want a nine game conference schedule, and a rule that states everyone must play at least one OOC BCS opponent each year.
Two cup-cakes a year should be enough.
Two cup-cakes a year should be enough.
Posted on 2/8/12 at 2:46 pm to stapuffmarshy
quote:
and fwiw you who have these rival games, set up a non conference game vs them if it means so much to you cause they need to go bye bye
Fans of schools that don't have a rival stand-out like a fat kid in the Sudan.
Posted on 2/8/12 at 2:47 pm to Swoopin
quote:
the first order of business would be a disagreement on where to meet to discuss it.
Birmingham. Two of the schools involved are in the state, and the SEC offices are here. Have the meeting right outside the door to the SEC offices.
quote:
Question: If this happens and the 4 programs scheduled eachother as OOC series for off years, would that be the biggest collective "Like a boss" move in the history of college sports?
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