Does the news that the Georgia-Notre Dame ticket is currently college football’s most steeply priced in the secondary market mean (1) the fan base is hungry for games with quality opponents; (2) Butts-Mehre has confirmation that the fan base is willing to pay through the nose for access to Georgia football games; or (3) both?
I hope it’s both. I’m tired of all of the cupcakes. We need more quality intersectional games and I would be willing to pay more for them. God knows I’m doing that for ND.
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Come on- doesn’t Austin Peay and U Mass just thrill you?
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The thrill is gone.
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I think I remember red panties AD trying to do that a few years ago and a certain coach not liking it all.
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at all
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Coaches may object but the fans (especially traveling fans love it. If you want to be the best you need to beat the best – beating the Lower Alabama School for – well, you get the point.
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I could live with the cupcakes and the occasional OOC opponent if we played a 9 game conference schedule.
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In addition to an 8 game conference schedule we play Tech every year, a Power 5 OOC game. That’s nine. Look at teams like Bama and Auburn who only play one OOC game against Power 5 teams. That makes nine, too. If we switched to a 9 game conference schedule the Barners and Tides of the world would just drop the OOC Power 5 game and still have nine. UGA would have 10. A big disadvantage. I say make the others in the SEC who don’t usually play a Power 5 OOC game play one. Half the SEC does it already.
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By your comments I am assuming you are tired of playing GT annually…because as long as that game is on the schedule, UGA hands are tied on scheduling regular intersectional games..as it is now, we regularly schedule more aggressively than our rivals.
Fans can whine all day long, but that is just the way it is.
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Exactly. Tech and the cocktail party being untouchable limits what we can do schedule wise. Home and homes against Clemson, Notre Dame, and Ucla, with an appearance in the opener in the dome every few years is as good as it’s going to get. Paying two crap teams one year and three the next to come to Sanford without a return trip is standard procedure for everyone. Cupcakes are going to be on the menu until the league goes to nine games, or the power five schools agree to only play each other. If all those thing happen and we still insist on partying in Jax every year, we could be stuck with a five game home schedule. I’m more concerned with things we can do something about, like having to cram all these cupcakes down at noon.
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Don’t give me that horse shit. We have played Tech and FU since forever and the gradual migration to weaker teams has been insidious and taken our backbone for great games with it. We played Clemson in our schedule regularly and we were the dominant team. Now that the power has shifted gradually, we don’t want to compete and that sucks a team’s heart out through the cojones such that we will never recover dominance. There is never anything good about pussy football even when you make all the excuses in the world.
There was plenty of time to make a strong schedule paired with the year we are playing ND. That approach has taken a back seat to the pronouncements of the good ole Butts boys who not only go along with it; they encourage it through McGarity. These are the guys that make the force that schedules weak teams in order that their prophesies to the fans will succeed. Shame on us for playing along with them.
Prankster’s painting of our Bulldog statue’s balls as targets will now be remedied by chipping the balls off, just as has been done in scheduling.
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We used to only play 6 SEC games too…things have changed…
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Easy pal. Don’t know what you’re calling horse shit, I’m just breaking down why the schedule is the way it is. I’m not advocating dropping anybody. I personally prefer a non-conference power five opponent every year, in addition to tech and the 8 SEC games. And as long as the game stays in Jax every year, that kind of schedule is going to give us a crappy six game home slate most odd years. Here’s how that will look:
Even years- home- 3 SEC teams, tech, a pwr 5 team, 2 non-pwr 5 teams.
away- 4 SEC teams + UF
Odd years- home- 4 SEC teams, 2 non-pwr 5 teams
away- 3 SEC teams, tech, pwr 5 return trip + UF
Either way, we’re going to have to pay 2 schools per year to play at our place to fill out the home schedule. And guess what? A power five team’s not going to fill that space without a return trip.
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There is a simple solution to this–play FU home and away.
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I’m hoping that playing Tech every year and Florida every year in Jacksonville is a generational thing that will die off with the baby boomers. Drop Tech and make Florida home and home. That with nine SEC games will help make season tickets worth the money.
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Never understood the “drop the tech game” argument. They are our in state rivals… Pure old fashioned hate will never go away.
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Oh and I’m a gen x’er so no, not just a baby boomer thing. It’s a “Georgia” thing.
WRTS
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I’m 53 and I would hate to see us drop GT for good for sure. They won’t go neutral site because, of well, you know the crowd..it’s bad enough for them on their on campus.
I
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Well, let’s face it….we beat Tech like a drum (last 3 years notwithstanding) and why would you stop playing a Power 5 foe that you dominate like that?
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It’s both, but a lot more #1 than anything else.. mostly because the allotment given to UGA by ND was so low, and everyone wants to travel to South Bend for what is likely a once in a lifetime trip. So for me, I really need a larger sampling to be able to give a solid answer to the question, and it really needs to reflect fan’s buying behavior in a way that benefits UGA.. namely.. what opponents could be brought to Sanford that would duplicate that kind of demand? I’m sure when ND comes to town, we’ll see an uptick in demand, but not sure it’ll be as big of an impact on the secondary market as when we travel to ND.
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Would be nice to have these big home and homes lined up one after the other. I get plenty of opportunities to go to the dome (or whatever we’re calling the new one) for the Falcons, and God willing the SEC championship every now and then. I’d much rather visit the odd OOC stadium every other year.
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For example, Colorado’s stadium was f’n incredible.
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Certainly was, until the missed FG and the mix up with Crowell at the very end denying us the shot at a winning kick. One of the best road trip game settings I have been to when you consider time of year, weather, surrounding areas of interest and things to do. Ralphie, oh man. I agree with you, stack’em up every year or every other year.
I never buy tickets through UGA for road games, or bowls. The secondary market offers the best options for a good seat. It is the only time I will be at that stadium, why not sit where you can enjoy the game? Last I looked at the ND tickets for the areas I wanted to sit in they were $1500 per ticket, and up. Haven’t checked it recently, thinking it might come down by early to mid August.
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I doubt it comes much for ND at all, in fact It will probably go up..it may come down game day, around KO outside the stadium, if at all.
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I agree at the lower end but many of the pricier tickets tend to fall as ticket holders through a wish up early, then begin to panic that they might have over played their hand. This may be different but I am thinking I can get lower level between the 35 yard lines for around a thousand. Now if ND loses their opener, the market will crash; if UGA loses their opener, there will be no market at all. 🙂 Ain’t happening.
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It was actually Caleb King, not Crowell.
Not that it matters. I was there in Boulder and watched that unfold in front of my eyes. Awful. The wife and I were abused verbally (not real bad) on the walk of shame back through the campus.
3 rows in front of that buffalo (or whatever it is) running out was awesome!
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You and Bright are right, sorry, it was King. Interesting about the verbal abuse, I witnessed that after the game and was very surprised. Saw a skateboarding punk knock the hat off an older UGA fan from the back as he skated past the couple. Combined with the students and CU band’s big FU to Georgia during the game, neither fit the laid back attitude and friendliness of the adults we encountered during the days leading up to the game. I know the President apologized publicly, but I told my CU friend even at SEC games random students don’t swat elderly fans on the back of the head in a rear attack. Another bad taste to go along with the bad loss. Otherwise a great experience in seeing another school’s game week traditions….the pep rally/parade through downtown Boulder with the coaches and players on Friday night was enviable, and the huge field on campus allotted to Dawg fans before the game was something I haven’t seen at any other location.
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Caleb King, not Crowell.
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It’s all about the golden dome and southerners love for football. Considering you could get the season tickets in Athens for the minimum donation , McGoofy can’t be ready for another ticket price hike.
But ……”We can still screw our loyal followers more……”
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If there were a remote chance that it will happen again, maybe the demand wouldn’t be there. But as it is, it really seems like a once in a lifetime opportunity.
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This just shows how far we are from a national power in football.
UGA fans are clinging to nostalgia for our game with ND almost 40 years ago, and they speak in awe of the Notre Dame tradition.
Meanwhile, except for the ATL-area Irish fans, their fanbase will be ho-hum about that trip to Athens in a couple of years.
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Not me, I respect the ND history but am far from being in awe of them. In fact, I almost feel a little sorry for them as they flounder. As for trying to relive forty years ago, again, not me. A MNC is not necessary to make me feel great about being a fan, winning the SEC is the highest title earned on the field to me. Best of the best, and you cannot get voted in. I loved being a consensus #1 but no one every really knows who is the best. Too much “good/bad fortune” and political manipulation involved in thinking you are very best….just win the SEC and play well every week and you will have your respect.
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I disagree with the awe of ND tradition.
Is seeing a game at ND iconic and on many sports fans bucket list? Absolutely.
Can UGA take the Domers to the wood shed? Absolutely and I hope so.
Do fans of opposing teams want to see a game at Yankee Stadium? I would say most Boston Red Sox fans would love to see a game Yankee Stadium.
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Yeah, there is a reason ND can play most anywhere at anytime and draw a big time crowd and a national TV audience….
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Low allotment, once in a life time game, 1st rematch since an iconic National Title game. Yes ticket prices are going to be crazy.
I am still in the camp of what a prior AD was trying to do, 8 SEC Games, 1 P5 out of conf., GT and 2 cupcakes. Even Florida is playing a neutral site opener this year.
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Neutral sites are much easier to work in than a home/home…especially with UF and UGA’s situation with their in state rival.
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And that’s the exact formula for last season, this season, and in 2019. I’m all for a home and home with a national power every other year and a neutral site opener. We just have to accept that there will be more six game home schedules than seven.
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*Occasional neutral site opener.
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Will there ever be a day when we consider dropping the permanency of the Tech series? I am an admittedly disinterested out-of-stater, so take that for what it’s worth. Nonetheless, its an urban engineering school whose cultural connection has been breaking with their UGA brethren, while barely clinging to an “emphasis” on football, for about 25 years now.
I’d love to free up wiggle room on that schedule. Even if it meant something like alternating Clemson and Tech. Frankly, my wildest dream is for the SEC to implement that 3-5 division-less scheduling format.
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What combination of people under 50 and/or outside of Atlanta natives care about the Tech series ?
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I think the HOPE scholarship, UGA’s interest in an engineering school, and GT’s expansion into business degrees has brought some of the interest back into the Rivalry. However, GT only winning 2-3 times a decade for multiple decades will keep the interest lower for many, especially out of state students.
I don’t see UGA ever dropping GT. The pride of UGA fans will keep UGA from dropping the game as they will not want to hear GT fans saying UGA ran away from GT. It is amazing how even current GT grads live for the random upset against UGA.
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Well said, it’s just something we’ll have to deal with..your last statement is as spot on as anything I’ve read here lately.
Having both team being a division winner in their respective conference would make the game get HUGE real quick. I’m not sure it has ever happened in the series. I’m sure it has happened in the UF/FSU series.
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I am in southernlawyer11’s camp of dropping it as an every year thing. It just doesn’t fit the time or needs for UGA any longer. While I realize, and respect, the opinions of those who wish to hold on, I am fairly confident this will go away, and I don’t think it will take much more than 15-20 years at the most. And who would be delusional enough to say UGA was running from GT, but I would have to laugh in their face.
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Things change and Tech’s teams change as well. Dropping Tech is nonsense when you consider that travel to each field will bring the stalwart fans of old from both schools to see these games. Sure, they are down when compared to UGA now and their enthusiasm for this game has dampened through these dominant UGA years, but you don’t have to go back many years to find that competition that lights up their base (and my e-mail from family Techsters) and you don’t have to go into the future many years to see the competition returning.
Richt pretty much owned them, but our celebrations of those victories began to wan when the Butts crowd began to degrade Richt in their pell-mell rush to get the trained Dawg from ‘Bama. How anyone would want the cupcakes on our schedule instead of our rival in Atl is beyond my ole Dawg heart
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It’s not a decision based on fear, but arrogance. What exactly does UGA have to be arrogant about lately?
As far as fitting needs go, since when do you throw away a P5 opponent that you beat at least 70% of the time?
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Exactly. Plus, as soon as we start dropping traditional rivals, we might as well just drop the whole thing and create NFL-Lite.
Beating Tech will never get old. And I believe we’ll soon get back whipping Florida, like the three year run we just had.
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PTC Dawg, thank you.
A 70% winning percentage is great but it still isn’t like Bama Ole Miss or what Tennessee has done to Kentucky, and we hear in Georgia forget how seriously they take that one. I heard more than a few say SOD was on borrowed time after breaking that streak.
GT would be delusional enough to claim we went after cupcakes running from them (is it really more absurd than what we hear from now?). The entire debate is really a non-starter as it isn’t happening. I see the status quo continuing GT gets 2-3 wins a decade and wins their division a time or 2 a decade.
I don’t get overly worked up on the GT game and I am a little older than Southern Lawyer. However, I was impressed with how seriously the students took it at the ’04 game. Further leaving historic Mark Richt Field at Bobby Dodd stadium after the ’09 game was one of the more fun wins. Beating a top 10 little brother when they think they can start a win streak is just amusing.
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*here in Georgia
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Walking out in ’13, after they thought they had us beat almost the whole game, was even sweeter…
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Excusing the Thanksgiving weekend pun, the Tech game is literally about as cool as a family holiday obligation. Its there, you see it on the schedule, its supposed to be a “holiday” (translation: an exciting power 5 game), but it feels way more like a pain in the _ _ _ that you get nothing out of.
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This argument is just absurd. There are few things finer than beating Tech and seeing their little nerd faces get all flushed and steam up their glasses, goggles, or whatever eye protection is most aerodynamic that year.
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If we didn’t play Tech, what makes you think the powers that be wouldn’t just schedule another cupcake – more cupcake than Tech is?
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exactly
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What a bunching of whining vaginas – How can y’all even consider dropping the Nerds? I’m a 90’s/Ray Goff grad… After losing to those rice-dicks last year, I could not imagine having to wait to play them again in 3 or 5 or 7 years. Y’all have lost your damn mind.
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+100
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UGA received 8,000 ND tickets (i believe that’s accurate) Despite being in top 5% of donors, I did not get close. In fact, it wasn’t even on the order form.
AD said they wanted “top donors to take their families to this once in a lifetime” trip and so allotment was gobbled up by top 2% getting 6-10 tickets each. I’m getting my ticket from a ND season ticket holder. They don’t seem to think it’s that special.
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Glad to hear they don’t think it is that special. I hope it resembles the ’31 NYU game.
https://uga.rivals.com/news/uga-s-most-notable-intersectionals-
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Good one!
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Gotta love UGA’s history of traveling and performing well in these iconic rare intsersectional games.
I will say it kind off pisses me off that big donors are getting 6-10 while the Top 5% doesn’t get a chance.
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Plus 1000
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A day late here but my tailgate crew just scored 14 at $275 each from a broker. I’d bet game day sidewalk sales are less than half that. See y’all in South Bend.
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The “Mayor” is right.Go “home & home” with Florida and you start solving the scheduling problem.A person close to the program told me that if the SEC goes to 9 games then there’s no solution but to do away with the annual game on Florida soil
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They ain’t giving up the Cocktail Party as long as it’s more profitable than home-and-home.
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