Wish we had UGA's scheduler at Tech

bobby dodds ghost

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Wish we had UGA\'s scheduler at Tech

This being one of those great years where a football team can play 12, or even 13, games before bowl invitations go out, why is it that Tech still only has 6 home games?
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I know the answer as well as everyone else here, but it doesn't make it acceptable.
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Home games generate revenue, fan excitement, and higher winning percentages. While I don't fear a loss to UConn, I sure can't get excited about it either.
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Georgia, on the other hand, has it figured out. This year they have SEVEN home games and also have the neutral site for the UF game. That means only 4 away games. Thats how you do it! They are not the only ones with 7 home games, a couple of ACC teams have 7 as well.
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Tech should move in this direction as soon as possible. Maybe a neutral site game each year with either FSU or Maryland, or buying out teams like Duke, WF, etc. to play 2 at home and one away. I, for one, am not afraid of opening the season each year with Ga. Southern at BDS. Guaranteed sellout each year, and super atmosphere for state of Georgia football fans. We would kick arse 9 out of 10 years, and once in a while GSU would get lucky at our expence. So what, it STILL would be great for both schools in the long run. The 1-AA argument is silly, because if you can't still win 6 other 1-A games, you don't deserve a bowl game anyway.
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Tech, in the old days, played 7 home games in a 10 game season. Alot of changes have occurred since then, most of them bad, but Tech is now headed in the right direction. I hope we can see in the near future schedules that are, in every way, to Tech's advantage!!!
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BOO
 

oldfoggy

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Re: Wish we had UGA\'s scheduler at Tech

Amen Bro. Back when we played 10 games a years (the big 10 played 9) we always had a 7 game home schedule. Yes lets get our big rivals such as FSU in a nuetral(sp) stadium like the Fla UGa(ly) game. I'll bet Legion Field in Bham would love to have such a game.
 

bobby dodds ghost

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Re: Wish we had UGA\'s scheduler at Tech

Legions Field would be great! Citrus Bowl is an option as well for FSU. The pro stadium in Carolina would be a good site for a Maryland annual game.
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ncjacket

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Re: Wish we had UGA\'s scheduler at Tech

Big difference in scheduling back in the old days. In his Autobiography, Dodd makes it clear that money was the deciding factor on where games were played. He simply refused to go to Clemson or to Mississippi. If they wanted to play us it had to be in Atlanta. With conference schedules controlled by the conferences its not that simple anymore. Plus in the 50s and 60s we were the big gun. We could call the shots on scheduling more than we can now.

I wouldn't count on 7 home games but I would hope that we can get our OOC schedules more attactive over the next few years. I think I understand the UConn thing, but I'm hopeful we really can get a rotation of Auburn, TN, Ala going and add at least one good opponent from outside the region on an annual basis.
 

ncjacket

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Re: Wish we had UGA\'s scheduler at Tech

To PhillipVU94, don't think I understand your post. Where is anyone talking about a weaker NC schedule? The only comment anyone made was about a possible series with Georgia Southern, is that what you're talking about? I dare say playing GSU would be tougher game than Middle Tn, UConn, Navy or several other Div 1 Opponents I could name. Maybe even Vandy? (just kidding). Everything else is about moving FSU or Ugag to a neutral site, adding Tenn, Ala and Auburn on a rotating basis or adding home games by buying them from Duke and Wake.
 

PhilipVU94

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Re: Wish we had UGA\'s scheduler at Tech

Well, the first point is that playing more home games inherently involves playing a weaker schedule because to get more than half your games to be at home you need "buy" games. They're a fact of life at literally all high-major programs; even Vanderbilt has three of them this year. But the fact of the matter is, you're not going to get large-conference opponents to play the 2-for-0 or 3-for-1 that you need to get 7/12 home games. Even Vanderbilt, the most woeful large-conference opponent this side of Rutgers, won't sign a 3-for-1 deal.


Secondly, I was reading the comments about GSU as applying to I-AA opponents in general, so that's my fault for misreading. GSU is a fine I-AA opponent that's probably on a par with if not better than weak I-A opponents. But I still find it an amusing contrast with fans who are usually clamoring for their team to play strong I-A opponents, not strong I-AA opponents. I agree that GT-GSU would be an interesting intrastate rivalry, though.

BTW, what were the circumstances of y'all playing in Storrs? I'm half thinking of going to that game since it involves the previous week's VU opponent and a future VU opponent playing two hours away from me. I'm pretty sure we got Connecticut at home twice without a return trip, so i'm sure y'all could have as well. Like i say, i admire your athletict dept. for being willing to play a team like UConn away. I remember Alabama playing at Southwest Louisiana (now ULL) in the mid-80's because Bear Bryant had promised them a home game before his death; I always thought that was pretty cool of UA to honor that.
 

ncjacket

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Re: Wish we had UGA\'s scheduler at Tech

There are others on the board who can give you the blow by blow of the UConn situation but it basically revolves around an opponent (MTSU??) who backed out on us late last year. We were in a situation of having to find an opponent on short notice and couldn't get anyone to agree to a home and home (needed an opponent for next year as well). There were efforts to get a number of other teams scheduled including, if memory serves, Ole Miss and Syracuse. The AD finally figured the best option was to accept the deal with UConn so that we at least had a full schedule.

Should also add that I don't think the majority of Tech fans want to play GSU. I was just saying that they wouldn't necessarily be an easire opponent than other teams plan. Most of us don't want anybody on the schedule that isn't D-1.
 

jacketguy

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Re: Wish we had UGA\'s scheduler at Tech

Although I wish we had more home games... I dont want to see us play FSU at a neutral site... I like the idea of teams coming to the flats... playing GSU doesnt do much for me, would much rather see us play a team from another part of the country, preferably a part in which we plan to recruit... (the state of Texas for instance, would love to see us play Texas, or A&M) .. the MTSU thing screwed us up a bit... but we will survive...
 

Y Jacket

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Re: Wish we had UGA\'s scheduler at Tech

AS much as it would be nice to buy out Duke or WF, I don't think we have the capacity at BD - even with the upgrade - to pull it off. Not to mention the fact that we could not be sure we would fill BD for Duke yet.

FSU is the only one that has bought out Duke (that I know of) and I think Duke caught significant grief for that and probably won't do it again for their own reasons.

But I do agree with your basic point that it would be great to work on our OOC schedule.
 

PhilipVU94

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Re: Wish we had UGA\'s scheduler at Tech

Now that's novel -- I don't think i've seen a thread devoted to fans wishing their school played a weaker NC schedule. Well, except for our fans, because we need the 3-4 extra wins, but that's different.

At any rate, i actually admire the fact that your program is willing to make a trip to Connecticut and give a home game to a new I-A team. But with this talk of buying out other ACC teams, it sounds like your fan base wishes your AD were as crass and disrespectful of competitive balance as many of the schools I least respect. Oh well. Idealism gets tiring after a while.

I would hope that Duke and Wake Forest, if approached about buying out a home game, have the self respect to tell their suitor to go fly a kite, although it sounds like there is some precedent I wasn't aware of. I know that Vanderbilt got a similar offer from Florida and told them they weren't interested, and this was back when we had an administration that was thoroughly hostile to athletic success. Miss State did move a home game vs. Florida to Orlando, IIRC, so you might find some takers.
 

kirbee

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Re: Wish we had UGA\'s scheduler at Tech

We don't have 7 home games because

1) we don't sell out

2) our stadium isn't big enough to "pay" teams to come here for one game

3) teams don't long for a shot at us

Only teams like UT, Florida, UGA etc get 7 home games.
 

bobby dodds ghost

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Re: Wish we had UGA\'s scheduler at Tech

We don't get 7 home games ONLY because our AD and staff chooses to not have 7 home games. If it was a priority, it would happen.
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BOO
 

bellyseries

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Re: Wish we had UGA\'s scheduler at Tech

I like the idea of playing Ga Sou occasionally, but not annually. For instance, I wish we were playing them this year instead of UConn, even at Statesboro. Don't you know THAT would get us some positive instate ink! Whereas UConn is sort of a mercy, um, date.
 

bellyseries

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Re: Wish we had UGA\'s scheduler at Tech

It just popped into my head since we're playing UConn in a high school stadium 1000 miles away. But the more I think about it, the more I think it would be great PR for Tech. It would show folks that we really are not an "Atlanta" school in a snooty conference, we just like to play football, and we respect what GSU has done.
 

bugboy

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Re: Wish we had UGA\'s scheduler at Tech

As stated above, the UConn thing came about because MTSU backed out on us to get a larger payday against UT in Knoxville.

As long as we play 6 or more games per year in BDS, I'm happy. I like that fact that I'm a fan of a school that doesn't "duck" teams. We play big-name schools from all over and we're not afraid to go to their place.

UGA is similar to alot of SEC schools that schedule 7 home games. They do it because they can get away with it.

Also, to the folks that want to play GSU...I'd love that. It'd be great for this state.
 

kirbee

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Re: Wish we had UGA\'s scheduler at Tech

Originally posted by PhilipVU94:
It's very flattering that you cosider Vanderbilt in such elite company.
But somehow i doubt #3 is the real reason why we have seven home games this year, or for that matter #1 or #2 (since we have a smaller stadium and probably sell out less).
<font size="2" face="Arial, Verdana, Sans-Serif">Actually the reason is because you have 12 regular season games this year.

There really is NO EXCUSE for us NOT having 7 home games this year.

My example was considering the usual 11 game schedule.

UT actually has 8 home games every year because that Vandy game is a "home" game for them. So you guys can't count that one.
 

beeware

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Re: Wish we had UGA\'s scheduler at Tech

Playing @Uconn was a Braine-dead decision.
A real embarassment.

 

PhilipVU94

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Re: Wish we had UGA\'s scheduler at Tech

Originally posted by kirbee:
We don't have 7 home games because

1) we don't sell out

2) our stadium isn't big enough to "pay" teams to come here for one game

3) teams don't long for a shot at us

Only teams like UT, Florida, UGA etc get 7 home games.
<font size="2" face="Arial, Verdana, Sans-Serif">It's very flattering that you cosider Vanderbilt in such elite company.
But somehow i doubt #3 is the real reason why we have seven home games this year, or for that matter #1 or #2 (since we have a smaller stadium and probably sell out less).

As for Georgia's schedule that started this whole thread, it's a bit aberrant this year because they happen to play Clemp's Son and Georgia Tech at home, which I'm sure are games that will be offset by road games next year. (Y'all aren't signing 3-for-1 deals with them, i take it.
) So next year their fans will no doubt be complaining about having only six home games, right?
 
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