McGarity is on a roll today.
- Bloviation for the Dawgnation
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Quote Of The Day
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“We remember the Sugar Bowl, I think it my junior year of high school, we let Alabama beat us twice,” Brinson said of a team that also lost to the Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship game. “We’re not letting Alabama beat us twice. In the Sugar Bowl in 2018, they… thought they should have been in the playoffs and lost to Texas.” -- AB-H, 12/27/23
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Get The Picture · Bloviation for the Dawgnation
Get The Picture 
I like it. This reminds me of the cupcake schedule post a few weeks back. In hindsight, McGarity probably didn’t have much choice to schedule tough opponents on short notice. Mixing in some power teams is much better for me.
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Forgetting that we had tough opponents scheduled for the next few years, and he nixed those.
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Well – I think Boise was an upgrade over Louisville. Still upset about losing Oregon off the schedule. That would seem to be the same type of opponent as The OSU – at least in recent seasons.
Both are the kind of games that will get us fame in Montana.
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Wait just a dawg-gone minute. Almost everyone on here was cheering us dropping “tough” OOC opponents. Now all of a sudden everyone is going to do a 180 and cheer him scheduling a tough OOC opponent. I was told by many people on this site that I’m not a true fan because I want a tough OOC schedule. The argument was that a tough OOC would reduce the chances of us winning a MNC because the SEC is already so tough. Unreal.
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Context.
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I like it… Go ahead and start savings my pennies for the trip to Columbus.
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The context is that people bashed me for saying I don’t like cupcake schedules and that if you want a tough OOC opponent then you ARE NOT A TRUE FAN. Now we will see everyone cheer a tough OOC opponent (10 years away, I know). Seems a little hypocritical. But I wouldn’t expect anyone to admit that around here.
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You really don’t get it, do you?
A once a decade series with a TOP NOTCH program is different than 1 or 2 ANNUAL games against mediocre BCS teams where a loss is devastating but a win does nothing for us.
Also, games like this will get huge national priority for TV and make great money. Home and homes against meh teams are a money loser compared to 7 home games both years.
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Do you seriously not see the difference between Ohio St and Colorado?
What McGarity is saying is that we are going to play OOC games against Blue-Chip opponents in what will likely be the most nationally hyped game of that particular week, and hopefully, of the entire season.
UGA-Ohio St is an INCREDIBLE matchup. That every fan should be excited about and will be able to talk about and plan for over the next 10 years. Colorado is a piss-poor, below-par ACC team, that is a 4 hour plane flight away, carries no national cachet and does nothing to expand the “UGA brand” except as a source of embarrasment for being the last team to ever lose to Dan Hawkins.
Losing an opener to Ohio St does nothing to blunt a team’s title aspirations, and may actually serve to enhance the season.
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I’m not referring to Colorado. I’m referring to Oregon who happens to be playing for a national championship this year. In case you haven’t been keeping up on current events our home and home with them was cancelled.
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The series was canceled because it couldn’t be reconciled with McGarity’s scheduling goal of seven home games a year. He’ll schedule big games in the future when it’s convenient for Georgia to do so.
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It was cancelled to make room for cupcakes. I didn’t say otherwise.
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I’m going to repeat this because it obviously bears repeating: “The series was cancelled because it couldn’t be reconciled with McGarity’s scheduling goal of seven home games a year.”
McGarity is not averse to tough competition as evidenced by the Ohio St series. What about this is difficult to understand?
sUGArdaddy lays it out beautifully below.
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A lot of the people on here who supported the cupcake walk (including me), weren’t against scheduling tough OOC opponents, they were against scheduling them with a frightening regularity. I made it clear that I was fine with scheduling a marquee OOC opponent here and there (see Clemson in 2013 and 2014 and Boise St. next year); it was the desire to schedule the second OOC BCS opponent (other than Tech) on a yearly basis or multiple BCS opponents (other than Tech) in one year that I took issue with as being an unnecessary hindrance (see last year, where we played Arizona State, Oklahoma State, and Georgia Tech, in addition to the SEC schedule).
A home and home with Ohio State is a huge matchup pitting two traditional conference powerhouses and is almost certainly going to be a slam dunk in terms of recruiting, media recognition, etc. McGarity is no fool and knows the value of those things and the value of playing Ohio State.
The more frustrating thing is all the people bashing McGarity for weakening the schedule who won’t give him his due for scheduling a top flight program in a home and home. In terms of prestige, Damon schedules included decent BCS programs, but none of them carried the weight of Ohio State. If this were the high school prom, Damon always got the girl your dad always told you to look out for (the one who wasn’t attractive until midway through sophomore year), while McGarity just landed the prom queen.
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You and others on here have selective memory. If you don’t think Oregon is a top tier program then I can’t help you.
I fail to see how scheduling a tough OOC opponent “once in awhile” is acceptable logic when you yourself admit to the prestige and national exposure. Why not do it every year?
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I noted the prestige and national exposure of playing an opponent such as Ohio State, not just any “tough OOC opponent”. How many teams are on (more or less) equal footing with Ohio State in terms of prestige? My guess would be around ten. You try to schedule a game with each of those programs on a yearly basis and see how successful you are.
Your Oregon argument doesn’t work either. The games are scheduled years in advance. The Oregon series (which was to be played in 2015 and 2016) was signed in 2006 and probably first discussed in 2005. Oregon’s current talent aside, they’re a relative Johnny Come Lately to the show. Were any of the games Damon scheduled anywhere near the level of a Georgia/Ohio State matchup? Let’s look at this murderer’s row of prestige…Louisville, Oregon, Oklahoma State, Colorado, Arizona State, Clemson…color me unimpressed. The only redeeming team in the bunch is Clemson because of the rivalry, and it still doesn’t come close to the amount of media attention that UGA/OSU will generate.
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Agreed. Damon scheduled a pack of schools that hoped to make names for themselves at UGA’s expense. Can’t express how pissed I was when we wound up playing Hawaii instead of SoCal a few years ago. I say take the home & home if its OSU, Texas, SoCal, ND or Ok.
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Geez. You bitch when he schedules teams that you consider cupcakes preferring that he schedule teams with “national” cachet. Then when he does as you suggest you bitch about that. You are nothing but a serial bitcher. STFU for crying out loud.
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I’m pointing out the hypocrisy on this topic. I apologize if it has upset your delicate psyche.
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No, you’re pointing out the perceived hypocrisy. You started this whole thing by saying what everyone was going to do before anything had been done. You were the second comment in the thread. Seems to me you’re the one with the delicate psyche.
On top of that, if you can’t fathom the difference in someone not wanting to schedule a second (or third) competitive OOC opponent on a yearly basis and someone being excited about scheduling a home and home with one of the premier programs in the country, then I’m not sure what else there is to say.
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Perceived? It’s not perceived when people don’t want hard OOC games because they hurt UGA chances for MNC. Then they turn around and cheer a hard OOC game. That is hypocrisy.
BTW in case you haven’t heard, Oregon is a premiere program as well. I would much rather visit Oregon than Ohio.
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Dude, just give it up. Geez.
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Good grief, man, you really have trouble with this, don’t you? The majority of the people here didn’t want a second (or third) ANNUAL tough OOC matchup. However, most people (including me) are okay with scheduling a once a decade or so matchup against a premier program like Ohio State, who is an elite college football power. Is it really that hard to grasp?
On top of that, you’re confused about what warrants a premier program. Oregon is not a premier program. They’re a premier TEAM this year, but their program is relatively new to the CFB scene and they haven’t reached the status of Texas, Florida, Ohio State, Oklahoma, etc. That’s what we’re discussing here…landing a big time OOC game against a premier program, not just a highly talented football team on a Johnny Come Lately run.
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How are you so stupid that you don’t see the difference between Oregon in 2015, right after a Clemson home-home series, and OSU in 2020+ ?
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This is great, and I’m excited, even though it’s ten years away.
I am just not a fan of the fact that we have to wait ten years until it happens. Next year we’ll play a neutral site game against a depleted Boise State roster, and then nobody. The next eight or nine years, it’s just nobodies. Then it’s two years of two great OOC matchups, followed by another ten years of nothing.
Big deal.
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What about Clemson in 2013 and 2014?
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Clemson isn’t a nobody. That’ll be a good series.
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To be honest, I’d forgotten about the Clemson series.
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I have very little interest in that game honestly.
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Speaking of Clemson…
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2010/dec/29/cops-man-hit-suv-clemson-playing-frogger/
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Let’s hope we don’t give the Bucks a chance to sell a combo pack of gold and silver pants. Word is they’re worth the “Mike Tyson special” at the tatoo parlor.
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Really nice to have an AD who wants to help the university rather than an AD who only wants to further his own career and agenda and get his picture taken at every opportunity! http://www.wedgeorgia.com
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+1. Plus does not get his picture taken as a mugshot.
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The more I see of this Dude the more I like him. Nothing against Evans, but McGarity takes it to another level.
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Ohio State has scheduled Tennessee for 2018-2019 still right? I wonder if they’re trying to make chances to earn some cred back against SEC teams. I think all but one of their SEC victories was against Kentucky and Vanderbilt.
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Wasn’t all but one of our SEC wins against Kentucky and Vanderbilt this year?
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Since we only had 3 SEC wins this year that is an easy question to answer: “Yes.”
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Interesting game, but we don’t need media attention or tough OOC games. Win 12 or 13 and we’ll get all the media attention we can handle. And we won’t get punished for scheduling “cupcakes” other than from rival blogs. But who cares about that. It obviously didn’t hurt Fl.
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2200 miles from here to Oregon. West Coast
435 miles from here to Columbus Ohio. Eastern Time Zone
Thats your difference in scheduling right there.
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I have long been a proponent of the cupcake philosophy. However, McGarity gets scheduling in a way that few do, and I’m okay with it because he CLEARLY gets it. Damon threw whatever at the scheduling wall and let it stick where ever. As in, let’s play a mid-tier BCS opponent every year. That’s stupid. McGarity’s philosophy is to add a premier game.
Now, here’s the thing. Every 5 years the western rotating schedule repeats. So, in 2020, we’ll play @ MSU and host Arky. In 2021, we’ll play @ Ole Miss and host MSU. No LSU. No Bama. In those years, LSU or Bama IS the extra premier game. It’s when you play these games that is key. You just CAN’T play those games in those years. That’s why he got rid of that Oregon and Louisville series. He deleted a tough game in 2012 by dropping Louisville, because we play @ Bama that year. In 2011, he added a marquee game because we play Ole Miss and MSU.
Look for him to try to push Clemson to move that game to 2015 and 2016. That would fit perfectly w/ his philosophy. I think you’re going to see us play regional games (Clemson, North Carolina, FSU) in years ending in 5 and 6 and see us play national/this side of the stratosphere games (Ohio St., Texas, ND, Mich, Oklahoma) in years ending in 0 and 1.
People need to trust this guy. He knows what he’s doing. He’s going to make our OOC schedule as easy as possible when the SEC sched. is brutal. And he’s going to add great games when we’ve got a little breathing room. And he’s going to get us 7 home games.
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I was about as vehement in my criticism of McGarity as anyone. I was furious about cancelling the Oregon series. I still think the excuses about travel are just that…excuses.
That having been said, I absolutely commend him for keeping the Clemson series, setting up the Boise State game and now scheduling the Buckeyes. I think he heard a bit of the grumbling from folks and modified his Gatorized scheduling philosophy. Regardless of what led to this, I must commend him for this move and if this is his scheduling philosophy I can support it. I would still much prefer to play 2 BCS level opponents a year than some of the garbage we have on our schedules, but this is a major step in the right direction.
Kudos for the band move and the move of G Day as well. It has been a good week for the AD.
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Bob, you’re not going to be happy if you want a high caliber OOC game each year, because it ain’t happening, but it’s smart scheduling. After all, surely you understand it’s not about us fans, but giving our guys the best chance to win championships, both SEC and national. Maybe this will help with understanding the philosophy.
Every year, we essentially have 7 games that are guaranteed on the schedule:
South Carolina
UT
Vandy
UK
Florida
Auburn
Tech
So, you’ve got 5 games to play with. 2 of those 5 games are mandated games from the SEC. This is the lot we get from the SEC, years ending in…
0 or 5- @ MSU, vs. Arkansas
1 or 6- @ Ole Miss, vs. MSU
2 or 7- @ Bama, vs. Ole Miss
3 or 8 – @ LSU, vs. Bama
4 or 9 – @ Arkansas, vs. LSU
So, 2 of those 5 sets of years you get an additional marquee game vs. LSU or Bama. In 1 of those sets, you get BOTH Bama AND LSU. Those are marquee, national interest games. They are games against 2 of the best programs in the best conference in the land. They are like playing Ohio St, USC, or Texas. You don’t need another game those years. And, you’d be absolutely crazy to schedule another OOC tough game in years that end in 3 or 8.
But, you’ve got some wiggle room those other 2 years because most years, Arky, MSU or Ole Miss are not going to be marquee, national interest games, and you’re going to figure on average that they’re simply not going to be as good as LSU or Bama.
Basically, McGarity is saying, and wisely saying, that of those 5 games you can ‘play with’, he wants:
4 ‘easier’ games- (2-3 FCS patsies or lower FBS teams, 1-2 lower to mid-level SEC west teams)
1 marquee game – (Ohio St., Boise St, LSU, or Alabama)
2 out of every 10 years, you get 2 marquee games when we play Bama and LSU in the same year.
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Absolutely the most cogent explanation ever posted on this blog about the logic behind scheduling. My compliments, sir.
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Brilliantly explained. Thanks for all the detail.
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This is assuming LSU doesn’t fire CLM and CNS doesn’t leave for another NFL job. Otherwise those two marquee games may get diminished if either LSU or Bama fall off. It is a good bet though and this is a good explanation of what seems to be McGarity’s philosophy.
I’m still not happy about dropping Oregon. (Yes I know, scheduling conflicts.)
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It’s also assuming that aliens don’t come down and raze Auburn.
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You mean there aren’t aliens in Auburn, Al already? Oh, you must mean the kind from outer space, not the illegal kind from Mexico which already make up a significant portion of the Tigers’ student body. Their battle cry: “Andale,andale, Cammo!”
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JBJ I agree with you. The hypocrisy on this topic is absurd. A lot of posters here don’t like to be corrected when they are WRONG. It’s disgraceful when you cant admit you’re wrong
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I guess I’m confused by your obsession with what it means to be wrong. And, as the Senator explains, there’s a big difference between not wanting to play an Arizona St. or Colorado EVERY year and wanting to play a big game every 8-10 years.
I have stated that I’m all for the cupcakes all the time. I could care less. I go to every game and I want us to win every game. There’s plenty of games we’ll have trouble winning. I don’t care to add more. But, if we’re going to, I appreciate McGarity’s thoughtful approach in regards to our SEC schedule. And, I can appreciate making those rare occassions actually games that will help us momentum wise and national landscape wise. Beating ASU, OSU, or Colorado did nothing for us in either. Beating Boise St. and Ohio St. = momentum and national respect. And having 7 home games = smart. Auburn left the state of Alabama 3 times this year. We left the state of Georgia 6.
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This logical approach will not be tolerated. You have to put it in layman’s terms, like this:
I like funfetti cupcakes. I would eat a funfetti cupcake every day for the rest of my life and never complain about the fact that all I got was funfetti cupcakes. However, if you came and told me that instead of a funfetti cupcake, one day you were going to give me a filet mignon, which I REALLY like, I would be okay with that too.
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