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re: Are Georgia and Florida the two most important football states in the SEC?
Posted on 7/2/15 at 1:53 pm to dallasga6
Posted on 7/2/15 at 1:53 pm to dallasga6
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Agreed... along with the sheer number of D1 recruits in the Atlanta metro area, the CFB Hall of Fame is now located in Atlanta. The most successful/premier Kick-off Classic is held in Atlanta. The 1st & still best, most viewed CCGame is held in Atlanta. The CFA Peach Bowl is now in the playoff rotation & is a Big 6 Bowl...
Which is why I'm pulling so hard for Ga State to get the Turner Field site when it goes up for sale. I want badly for Ga Southern, State, Mercer, and Kennesaw to all have midmajor status at a minimum in the next 15-20 years. I believe that if you build a culture of college football in GA and about GA (meaning having all D1 teams representing South, Middle, North, Metro, and GA as a whole) that it will help to build state pride which, in turn, builds a stronger recruiting pitch to stay home. When a kid grows up in a state like GA with 6 D1 programs advertised everywhere, it makes it a little bit more difficult to grow an attachment to a Bama or Auburn or UF or UTk and easier to latch onto one of those GA teams.
ETA: Truth be told, I'd be thrilled if Southern could expand their stadium to at least 50k and State could follow through on renovating Turner Field into a football stadium as they've planned. From there, I'd be willing to schedule both for annual home and homes leaving one slot for the occasional big OOC opponent.
This post was edited on 7/2/15 at 1:58 pm
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Posted on 7/2/15 at 1:56 pm to 212ZonePress
One thing you left off that makes Florida incredibly important is television.
Posted on 7/2/15 at 2:03 pm to Jagd Tiger
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I would argue that Atlanta is the epicentre of College Football nationwide..
IMO it doesn't matter. The Northeast is a pro sports region. Boston College could go 12-0 and not many people in Boston are going to care. They do care about their pro teams do.
In the Midwest some regions care, but not all. MN is a pro sports area. Chicago is a mix of various alliances so there isn't a single team that city supports. Nebraska is hardcore Nebraska following. Cali struggles to even fill the stadiums for college football. Same with Miami.
Atlanta draws a lot of tv sets to college football games and that city has a mix of people that moved to the area from all over the country.
Posted on 7/2/15 at 2:04 pm to bgator85
No question that TV (in GA too) is more justification for my argument...
Posted on 7/2/15 at 2:10 pm to bgator85
Alabama alone makes Alabama the most important. Take away Bama's feats on the national scene and the SEC looks pretty ordinary. Bama has more natty's and SECC's than Florida and UGA combined.
Face it, cache matters.......a lot.
Face it, cache matters.......a lot.
Posted on 7/2/15 at 2:26 pm to tylerdurden24
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Ga Southern,State,Mercer and Kennesaw all have mid major status
WTH would you want this?
First,how the hell are any these schols gonna pay for themselves? Student fees?
State made a horrible mistake in jumpling to 1A status...they can't draw jack shite at the Dome,what makes you think ANYONE would go see em at Turner Field of all places.And dont give me the ole Alumni base arguemnt.Most Alumni that have an interest in CFB are already fans of some other school would much rather spend their Sat afternoons ANYWHERE but Turner Field.
Ga Southern and Mercer simply dont have the population base to support a sustainable mid-major program.
Mid majors accross the country cannot support themselves...its a horrible economic model,especially with the big 5 schools putting a bigger emphasis on OOC scheduling.
Posted on 7/2/15 at 2:31 pm to kudzoo
quote:
Face it cache matters... a lot
Cache means jack squat when you're counting ad revenue and the number of eyeballs watching CFB in states with huge metro areas and large population bases,
Posted on 7/2/15 at 2:34 pm to 212ZonePress
It's not all about recruiting. Just ask Missouri.
Posted on 7/2/15 at 2:35 pm to 212ZonePress
I disagree South Carolina is the goat
Posted on 7/2/15 at 5:27 pm to RD Dawg
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WTH would you want this?
For all the reasons I said above; building the state's brand.
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First,how the hell are any these schols gonna pay for themselves? Student fees?
That's for each school to figure out. Next round of expansion, get in on a fat TV deal. I'm not providing a step by step plan, just saying I'd like to see it happen.
quote:
State made a horrible mistake in jumpling to 1A status...they can't draw jack shite at the Dome,what makes you think ANYONE would go see em at Turner Field of all places.
Because their plan for that whole site is really awesome and would not only give them more than a boring arse NFL dome to try and fill, it would also become a center for activity in South Atlanta.
quote:
Most Alumni that have an interest in CFB are already fans of some other school would much rather spend their Sat afternoons ANYWHERE but Turner Field.
The suburbanites, sure. But Ga State has the second largest student population in the state behind UGA and there are plenty of people in Atlanta without an allegiance or the means to get out of the city for a day that would buy a cheap ticket to an outdoor stadium with a nice view of the city. It's not going to be a 92,000+ stadium; a 40-50k reversion of Turner into the old track stadium set up could easily fill with a competitive team.
quote:
Ga Southern and Mercer simply dont have the population base to support a sustainable mid-major program.
Mercer maybe not (though, again, they have Macon all to themselves as a city; they could easily tap into that populace that either can't or does not have interest in traveling to Athens or Atlanta on Saturdays). But Southern has already built one double deck and have plans to continue expanding their old high school stadium. Once again, we're not talking about huge SEC sized stadiums. More like 40-60K places akin to Vandy or Ole Miss. Southern has enough fans across the state, in Statesboro, and around South GA to make that happen.
This post was edited on 7/2/15 at 6:02 pm
Posted on 7/2/15 at 5:56 pm to tylerdurden24
1. Alabama: Even as an Auburn guy I recognize that U of Alabama has historically been the most important program to the SEC. Then you add in Auburn, which is one of the Big Six programs, and you have 33% of the Big Six right there in the state of Alabama. Plus of course the SEC HQ. And Alabama is a respectable #4 in terms of player production. Clear #1 IMO.
2 Georgia: Georgia has produced the most SEC players over the last decade. Plus you have a Big Six program, Atlanta which is the defacto capital of the SEC as well as the home of the SECCG, the Peach Bowl, and the CFHOF.
3. Florida: Home to the second most SEC players in the last decade, one of the Big Six programs, and several important bowl games (Orange, Outback, Capital One, Gator).
After those three I think you could argue about the order for Louisiana, Tennessee, and maybe Texas based on Big Six members, players produced, and bowl games.
Arkansas, SC, Miss, Mizz, and KY are bringing up the rear.
2 Georgia: Georgia has produced the most SEC players over the last decade. Plus you have a Big Six program, Atlanta which is the defacto capital of the SEC as well as the home of the SECCG, the Peach Bowl, and the CFHOF.
3. Florida: Home to the second most SEC players in the last decade, one of the Big Six programs, and several important bowl games (Orange, Outback, Capital One, Gator).
After those three I think you could argue about the order for Louisiana, Tennessee, and maybe Texas based on Big Six members, players produced, and bowl games.
Arkansas, SC, Miss, Mizz, and KY are bringing up the rear.
Posted on 7/2/15 at 6:17 pm to 212ZonePress
I'm sure LA has a lot to say about the most important states in the SEC
Posted on 7/2/15 at 6:24 pm to ATLSU7
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I'm sure LA has a lot to say about the most important states in the SEC
I'm sure it does. Just not as much as GA, FL, and AL.
Posted on 7/2/15 at 6:42 pm to GumBro Jackson
Arkansas. The SEC was sputtering along before we brought it to life in '92. That was the year Alabama won the first NC the SEC had seen in 12 years. Since then, the SEC has won a title every couple of years, all thanks to Arkansas. 
Posted on 7/2/15 at 6:58 pm to ATLSU7
I'd put LA at a solid #4. The Sugar Bowl and LSU's Big 6 brand, success and NFL alumni are well reknowned. It's not the juggernaut for SEC recruiting that GA and FL are and doesnt have the state of AL's history but being the #4 state in the best cfb conf. in America ain't shabby...
Posted on 7/2/15 at 7:28 pm to tylerdurden24
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Thats for each school to figure out
Ya think??And they wont be able to because there's absolutely no way to do it.
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It would become a center for activity for South Atlanta
South Atlanta is a crime ridden shite hole and the
further south you go it gets worse (College Park,Fairburn,Clayton Co etc)The only viable parts of South Metro are Fayette ,Henry,Newton Co's and those folks sure as hell aren't going up to Turner Field for GSU games.
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Because their plan for the site is really awesome
Once again,WGAS how awesome their "plans" are?
Theres absolutely no precedent for an Urban school building from scratch and making a competitive leap to 1A...The closest I can think of is UCF and the 2 schools aren't remotely comparable.
quote:
Second largest student population in the state
How many are undergraduates and on campus?And why aren't they showing up now?I would bet you the KSU has more undergrads on campus.Hell,of all the scenarios mentioned KSU has the most tools in place to succeed (on campus students,money and an affluent area to draw from)More people live in Cobb County than Macon or Savanah.
quote:
Get in on a fat TV deal
From who?Disney is already reigning in ESPN on their CFB spending and theres no huge TV contract looming for any CFB conference that isnt a big 5 member.
This post was edited on 7/2/15 at 7:30 pm
Posted on 7/2/15 at 7:37 pm to 212ZonePress
quote:
Are Georgia and Florida the two most important football states in the SEC?
uh, no.
Posted on 7/2/15 at 7:54 pm to 212ZonePress
Alabama has got to be at top since the installment of th SECCG when coupled with the fact that no pro teams reside in that state.
Posted on 7/2/15 at 8:15 pm to 212ZonePress
quote:
History-wise, Alabama is EASILY at the top of the list. All things considered though, GA and FL are the top two in my estimation...
You are not making a good argument about what you are basing this question off of. Rivalries don't really mean anything and every state has elite players it has produced.
The only things that are quantitative are recruits and winning championships.
The easier question is, what states could you cut from the SEC and it would make little difference.
This post was edited on 7/2/15 at 8:18 pm
Posted on 7/2/15 at 8:20 pm to 212ZonePress
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