Apparently Georgia has been talking to Kent State about a future game, with a guaranteed payout of nearly $2 million. Georgia Southern’s athletic director wants to know why such sweet, sweet bank might be leaving the state his program shares with Greg McGarity’s.
“I’m not devaluing Kent State. But you’re paying them significant amount of money and they’re probably not going to have 100 fans there,” Kleinlein said. “(Whereas) I’m going to bring 15,000 people with me…”
Dude, I think you just answered your own question.
Get The Picture 
If we beat Kent State we can say we beat a Nick Saban program.
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We take Coach Stricklin off their hands AND we pay them $2 million?
I bet they have McGarity on speed dial.
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Haha! I’m betting McGoof wishes the records were sealed on these payouts. The GSU AD is making him look even more like a fool.
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Is this the same Southern team that took Georgia to overtime in 2015?
Some fool
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Georgia Southern owns the trademark for GATA. That just ain’t right in my book.
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That really is awful …
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??? ….thought that was from Erk when at Georgia ( GTAA – Georgia Tech Athletic Association).
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Get After Their Asses or Get After That Ass, depending on who you ask.
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Yeah, I know the story when Erk was at Georgia (turning around the letters from GTAA to GATA)….just did not understand the Georgia Southern ownership thing, may have misread it.
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GATA went with Erk and Dooley was not smart enough to copyright it, I guess. Erk actually thought about not coming to the team reunions at UGA because when he was introduced he got a standing ovation and Dooley got the golf claps. One time I timed him trying to get back to his seat at a game after the half time introductions and it took him the whole 3rd quarter because of the mob of UGA fans that wanted his autograph. Single biggest mistake in UGA history not hiring him.
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He was a legend. I use to live in Birmingham back in the mid 80’s and did not know he was from there back then until a buddy told me. He is from a very small town named Ensley. It is just outside of Birmingham. He is very well respected in that area…..and of course, he went to Auburn. A lot of crossover between the two schools (Georgia).
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Not true….
https://trademarks.justia.com/860/65/gata-86065170.html
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Thank you, Al Ford!
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Georgia southern owns the licensing of gata. If any entity produces licensed apparel with gata on it gsu gets paid.
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Definitely a little man syndrome thing going on with GSU and it’s fans, and I’ve heard or read about some bad experiences with GSU fans during their last trip to Athens. The hardcore GSU fans/alums really seem to hate UGA for some reason — perhaps because they weren’t able to get into UGA — and I know several GSU alums who will pull for any team over UGA just because.
A former GSU alum neighbor of mine would actually do the Gator chomp or sing Rocky Top after our loss to either, and he readily admitted he grew up liking UGA but grew to hate the school when he was “unfairly rejected” (sic) from acceptance. But hey, at least he was honest — other GSU alums I’ve come across would say they never applied to UGA or that they chose GSU over UGA for whatever lame reason. A few have even said they prefers Statesboro over Athens, which alone was enough to set your BS meter off big time.
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Friends with many of them and you are correct, sir. Their hatred toward UGA is worse than mine toward Auburn.
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Perhaps this has become more pronounced since the advent of HOPE. More top tier talent staying in state allowed UGA to raise standards significantly resulting in lots of people being rejected who would have gotten in previously. None of my GSU friends who attended prior to HOPE hold any animosity towards UGA.
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that window has shut as out of state SEC schools (Alabama in particular) now throw mad money at Georgia students that can’t quite get into UGA but still want a big-time college experience.
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Being at the age when HOPE was 1st introduced, I believe you are correct. Further as I posted a week or 2 ago, HOPE I believe has made GT a bigger game for the younger UGA alums. GT alums have, do and always will hate UGA possibly more than they like GT.
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If by hardcore you mean extremely stupid and prideful, sure. But I’ve never heard of anyone who tried to transfer into Georgia and failed. Most people understand that if your grades/SAT aren’t high enough, you don’t get in on the first try. Schools have standards and you meet them or you don’t. Its nothing personal.
But Georgia ain’t Harvard. If you’re not a complete moron and you want to go there, all you have to do is go to a JUCO or anywhere else, “try” just a little, and then transfer. I didn’t go to Southern, but I can tell you it isn’t filled with thousands of morons who are bitter that they didn’t get into Georgia. If that were the case, they would have gone to Auburn.
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Why is bringing 15,000 fans a bad thing? Perhaps I am daft but I don’t see what the answer to the question is. Southern is a perfect partner for cupcake games and McG is an idiot for not scheduling them.
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Because we’ll fill up the stadium either way. Would you rather 92k Dawgs in the stands or 77k?
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It’s a cupcake game. We’re not getting 92k to show up. Besides, it’s fun having a school with a local connection in town. I have friends from Statesboro that can come up and visit for the game.
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“McG is an idiot for not scheduling them.”
CMR begs to differ.
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Didn’t he have a 4-0 record against them?
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Apparently, the overtime game is the reason the big boosters decided to push the AD to push him out.
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good thing he never had to come from behind late to beat Nicholls State
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We didn’t have to come back, but we had to hold on late.
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absolutely, but I think CMR would rather have skated through a win over Louisiana Corndog U then sweat though that ’15 game.
And as ee says, that win did a lot to infuriate “the 1%ers” in the Bulldawg family.
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Bc they chop block just like the Technerds.
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I’ve never been in favor of playing GSU. We don’t play well against that option offense, and I don’t believe that excuse that it helps us prepare for GT. We don’t need to play Ga. Southern, regardless of how many fans they bring to Athens.
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Agree. No need to play knee divers unless you have to. I can’t wait until that kind of unethical blocking is banned. Guys’ futures are on the line every time they step on the field, but to purposely try to take out knees on every play is pathetic. It’s not our responsibility to prop up an in-state second-rate program. Their AD is coming off like a whiney gash. Screw ’em.
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GSU doesn’t run the same offense as GT, it is a hybrid of what it once was, and what GT continues to run. If that is the reason for not playing them, we should drop GT as well. At least GSU accepts their role of coming to our place, GT should fall in line with that as well. Both have small stadiums, annoying fan bases, and wish they were us.
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GSU was added the week before the GT game as preparation for GT. GT will be on the schedule and is in no danger of being dropped. We went over this recently.
GSU does not have a century of tradition of playing UGA and as such gets added and dropped like any other regional school or cupcake. GSU might get picked up more often if it helps UGA prep for GT. I would argue that any style of option offense helps prep the team for the assignment style of defense needed to defend the option.
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I’m in favor an f dropping GT too. It would make scheduling much easier and all the people who want bigger named teams to come into Athens could get their wish.
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Every 4 years, we should play’em…don’t be chickenshit.
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Agreed.
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Bingo. Play Southern, Tech, Mercer, Georgia State, etc. Don’t be a bunch of yellow pansies, and keep that money in state.
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As a Mercer Student and Georgia fan, I could do without a Georgia Mercer game.
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As an alumnus of both schools, I’d love to see us host the Bears. If we’re gonna have to eat cupcakes, let’s keep it local and benefit other GA schools.
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They’re the ones that decided to make the jump to adult football, let them figure it out. UGA doesn’t owe them anything just because of geography.
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1 option team a year is enough
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Screw Georgia Southern. Let Tech prop them up. I’ve been to 3 GSU games in Sanford and they are as loudmouthed and shitty as UT fans. Screw them and their dumbass drainage ditch.
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What we need is a kindly legislator from south georgia to introduce a bill that all the state schools need to play each other. If smart can get some laws ran through, maybe their guy can too.
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They’ve forced their coach to go back to Tech’s pure option offense so why schedule another game that’s gonna make us whine about cut blocking?
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No one ever accused anyone from Georgia Southern of being the brightest.
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but they can crush a case of Bud Light better than any person outside Talladega Motor speedway.
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If they crush the cans on their foreheads, I’d pay to see that.
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I knew a guy at Georgia that would break empty bottles on his head.
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That image will be with me for the rest of the day and I may not sleep well tonight just thinking about it. Did the guy graduate or just get carried off in an ambulance?
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. . . like the guy who runs this blog? Well, at least his pen namesake anyway.
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Is Kent State really the best we can do for $2 million? The total lack of respect for season ticket holders is amazing. I’d rather stay home than waste a Saturday on that. It’s all about that $40 million coming from the SEC now.
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It’s not. I’d rather we did a straight up 2 home for 1 away with some power 5 bottom feeders. Wake Forest. Maryland. Rutgers. Washington State. Kansas. Oregon State. Texas Tech. Iowa State. I don’t see how playing in College Park once for 2 in Athens would be more shameful than Nicholls State and ETSU.
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I’d rather 2 cupcakes, 8 SEC games, GT, and 1 P5/BCS crasher scheduled home/away opposite of GT.
I don’t see Nichols or ETSU as shameful, cup cakes are part of the football schedule and a full slate of SEC and P5 competition at current scholarship limits is not sustainable for a championship run.
The 2 home 1 away mid to lower level P5 team is an interesting idea, especially if Az State, Clemson deals are not working out.
I would like to add UGA/Clemson Chick-Fil-A kick off game. Clemson is interested in playing SEC teams, especially if it is in Georgia or close by (Auburn) as they need the exposure to recruit Georgia. If Clemson is winning the have Georgia talent. Bama plays neutral site games to help recruiting as well. UGA may as well keep the exposure to the in state program.
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I would add UVA would be a better candidate for the 2 home 1 away than a neutral site game.
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I think you would have to drop down to the American Athletic Conference to do the 2 home 1 away schedule. Frankly, most of the teams in the American are pretty good ball clubs…….. good enough to want to go to Athens to attend the games. I would rather see a game against Houston or Memphis than Wake Forest.
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You may have a point, I believe Wake has a home/away with Ole Miss. Indiana’s biggest non conf game I believe was home/away with Louisville. It comes down to money, and I’d love to see the revenue the team get for these games not just the contract but what the program generates off ticket sales. Houston or Memphis could be dangerous
Miami has seemed like a natural for me, before Richt was hired there. Miami gets national TV exposure even on a down year. UGA fans would buy up Miami seats for the away game in mass, and they always have plenty to sell. I would not want to see a Miami game at this point in time.
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I want a home and home with Wake, but Wake is my lawma mater, so I’m biased.
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GSU has to play at least two big money games a year in order to make the budget work. This year they are playing auburn and Indiana (think that’s right). They would prefer having a game close so they don’t have to spend money on travel. I think they made a mistake in moving up in divisions but only time will tell.
Yes they have little man syndrome bad about UGA and tech.
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Don’t blame them (scheduling), I would do the same. Football has really grown there since they started back up. A lot of football talent in south GA that the dawgs have missed on. Glad to see them grow, but rather see them remain “little brother”….rather leave them off the schedule.
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I think a few people are missing a point. 15,000 GSU fans are 14,900 tickets that B-M does not get to sell directly. GSU’s athletic Department likely has a margin between face value and the price they pay B-M for the tickets where GSU collects a profit (not B-M).
I would also add the GSU did not help their case in taking Richt’s last team to OT, a game that some of us believe sealed the deal on the firing.
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Boy I sure don’t want anymore of them….I bet Florida doesn’t either. Too much to lose imo.
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And not enough to gain…
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That was basically my 2nd point. A basement dweller Big10/ACC team likely helps more with the media and with a lower risk of a loss.
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It was a fun night and we got our money’s worth.
The football programs are competitively even now.
Would rather play Georgia Southern at 7:00pm than Austin Peay at noon.
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If we’re competitively even with GSU, then we can pretty much forget about ever winning another SEC championship.
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Agree. Then why not play them?
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I find there is zero value to us playing them. They are a lower profile Georgia tech. No value to winning (only if we win big). Laughingstock for a loss (like UF). Close wins look like a loss.
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Your argument applies to every cupcake game. By that logic we should only play P5 teams every year.
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I wish we would. I’ve been a fan of the top 80 schools breaking away from the NCAA to form a Super D-1 for a number of years.
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But it’s especially a no win for us with in state school like GSU
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Is it especially shameful if we lose? Sure. But a program the quality of Georgia has no business losing to these guys in the first place. We deserve whatever grief we get if we don’t take care of business.
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In state program, big payout for them, win – nothing to gain, lose – not good in any way….why help them out and make “little brother” stronger?? ….
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Agreed
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For years, we ridiculed GT for not playing them. Now they are and WE are ones refusing to do it.
Now, I am all for ridiculing GT, but I am not for being a hypocrite in doing so.
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Cause football’s about competition, not avoiding it. Plus I like to watch college football, and watching it against Southern is better than watching it against Kent State or any other obscure out of state team. Hell of a better tailgate, too.
This candy ass mentality has been a big reason for our mediocrity for the last decade.
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Well said.
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Yes! If we’re afraid to play Georgia Southern, then we damn sure aren’t ready to play for championships.
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This topic is interesting. 47 comments on a subject that the decision-makers could care less what fans think. While we are at it, I would like to see Gus Malzahn shit in a clay flower pot and Butch Jones clap for him and cry.
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That is a disturbing thought….I mean, what kind of person thinks of stuff like that??
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You seem to think there are other topics discussed here that they do care what we think about.
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Dude, you win the comments for this thread. LOL!
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ZEUS!!!
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Just realized what that was about “Zeus”….GO DAWGS!….that was a must get.
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I am not sure why I am seeing all of the GSU hate. They are not old bitter rivals of UGA. I grew up rooting for them on Saturday as well…. back when they had the Hambone and later Adrian Petersen, who was a beast. Sometimes I think many who post on here are damn Yankees. Otherwise, let’s help out another GA program made up of boys who we all watched on Friday night around our great state, and play them. Maybe a great rivalry will develop.
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We don’t want or need a “rivalry to develop.” We don’t want to play GaSouthern for the same reasons nobody in the East wants Tech, FSU or Clemson to get an SEC invite. I could care less if it’s “chicken little” to avoid them. It’s the same reason Bama avoids UAB, State/Ole Miss avoid southern miss. Losing to a cupcake in another region is embarrassing. Losing to Southern is embarassment + the equivalent to paddling over to the drowning man in your 1 man lifeboat.
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I disagree, most UF fans I have spoken to are not against FSU joining some sources even claim UF wanted FSU in the SEC back in the early 90s. They have to play them anyway and a SEC schedule would likely make the game easier for UF.
Bama/UAB, Bama tries torpedo anything they can that keeps their program from winning.
The Mississippi schools are 3rd and 4th at recruiting their own state, agreed they do not need any more competition.
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I didn’t know that the intent was to avoid playing teams that might beat us. Sorry, that is not chicken little, but more like chickenshit.
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+1000
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You don’t have to be a Yankee to hate GSU. What a ridiculous statement. All you have to do is go to one game in Sanford with GSU fans. I hate GSU because their fans are loudmouthed arrogant drunkass rednecks who come into Sanford and talk way more smack than their FCS “tradition” warrants. Oh, you beat Southwest North Dakota State Tech 4 different times in the Nobody Gives a Shit Playoff Championship ten years ago? Whoopity frickin’ doo. And yet they act like they’re Alabama.
There are a lot of Clemson and Auburn players who played in Georgia on Friday nights, and I don’t give a damn for them. Knowshon Moreno played his Friday nights in New Jersey. So what? All I care about is if you wear the Red and Black on SATURDAY. And we don’t need another rivalry. We already have plenty. We don’t owe them a thing, and where their players played on Friday nights is completely irrelevant.
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Meanwhile we’re still huffing the fumes of 1980….
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UGA has nothing to gain by playing GASo. If you beat them so what you were suppose to, put if perchance you should lose to them you lose everything. I personally like GASo. I root for them,but no need to play them. Perhaps they could play GT, they need more fans at prehistoric Bobby Dodd.
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That’s true for all cupcakes though
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Most of the cupcakes are much less likely to win, such as Kent St.
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A program that aspires to championships should not be concerned with their chances against a cupcake. If we’re scared of playing Southern, we have no business being in the same building as Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, etc.
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I have two kids that went to GA Southern. My daughter graduated from there but my son transferred to UGA and graduated from there. Most of my son’s and daughter’s GSU classmates loved UGA, just not when they played GSU. You obviously don’t get the fact that anybody in good standing at one senior school of the University System can transfer to another school in the system. After the change from the quarter system my son would have been better off to stay at GSU. The classes even on the freshman and sophomore level were taught by professors not grad students and the class sizes were normal not 300+ in an auditorium or on TV. I had a friend who literally had to drive to Athens and threaten the Dean of his daughter’s school because they only offered one of the required courses once a year and only one class. She could not get in when it was the only class she had left to graduate. Needless to say the Dean found room once confronted but it just showed me that any resemblance between UGA of the old days and the new UGA is Gone With The Wind.
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Well said..
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Yeah that academic barrier to entry is only tough straight out of high school. As long as you go pretty much anywhere else (including any JUCO) and have over like a 3.0 after a year or two you can transfer in to UGA. A lot of people do that. Most people who get rejected out of high school and go elsewhere just wind up liking it where they go in the first place and stay. That whole “they’re just bitter they didn’t get in” thing is a straw man. Nobody who can’t make grades to transfer in to UGA has anyone to blame but themselves.
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Yeah, I knew a lot of people who couldn’t even dream of getting into UGA as freshman, who walked right in after a couple years at another school. It kinda made me mad that people who didn’t GAS about academics at my high school ended up getting a degree from my university after going to Gainesville State or some other school.
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Judging by the vast majority of the comments here, I can see why McGarity & Co. aren’t too concerned about beefing up the home schedule.
You can’t have a decent home slate while also avoiding decent competition.
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Or… If you’re going to have decent competition go for a P5 program worth the risk.
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How many a year should we play? D, JD…
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I answered that above.
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Also if youare going to order a cupcake, make sure your get what you pay for. GSU is not your run of the mill cupcake.
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A good mid major is looked at the same as a bad P5 team. Winning and losing have the same effect; i.e. winning doesn’t matter and losing is a catastrophe.
But if PR is the issue, bailing on the once every 4 years Georgia Southern game gives them more credibility than they got from beating Florida, and hurts Georgia’s just as bad.
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Why does it hurt Georgia? I don’t think Zeus made his decision today based on whether we play GSU.
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Shouldn’t think that needs any explanation but here goes: we won’t schedule a mid major anymore because we think they are too good. The whole point of the “damned if you win or lose” argument is that the national media/committee will think less of us come voting time, right? Well, here’s some ammo for them: Georgia thinks an in state directional school is too good to schedule, so they went and found someone even weaker.
By the way, nobody said recruiting was going to fall through because we won’t play Southern, but nice straw man argument.
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In the same darned if you win or lose, if you schedule Georgia Southern, the media will claim you schedule a mid major directional school. Does that really hurt anymore than a FCS school?
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Win the SEC. You’re in the playoff. We won’t be left out for playing nonP5 school X vs. GSU. It doesn’t benefit us to play them.
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Most likely true but the scenario for 2 loss SEC champ is in play. A 2 loss champ could miss the playoff.
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That’s a fair statement, but scheduling GSU over another non-P5 isn’t going to make a difference in getting in versus being left out in that scenario either.
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Cupcake is too strong a term. What McG is doing is all out pussification.
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Bama has Mercer on the schedule
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but not UAB. Many power programs are hesitant to play cupcakes from within their state.
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Tell that to Florida, Ohio St., LSU
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Florida never has had and never will have a monopoly on their state. Ohio State and LSU are both the undisputed kings of their respective states. UGA holds the majority sway in Georgia but doesn’t own the whole thing (too many transplants in the Atlanta metro area, Vols in the north, Noles in the South, Tigers and Gumps in the West). Difference is, if UGA could ever win big as it once has it could regain a lot of territroy that has been encroached upon by other successful programs. Even the transplants aren’t going to ignore a winning team in their backyard.
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BTW I don’t see Saban Scheduling GSU again
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LOL!….I remember that, awesome.
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The darth vader thing only works for Alabama, and its not the key to Bama’s success, its because Alabamans, in general, are crazy and ridiculous; not something to strive for. Most of the rest are either actually on the same level with the in state teams and really do have something to worry about, or they play the part of benevolent overlord, which is where Georgia has been and should stay.
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Oh come on, that is insulting Vader. He wanted to include his kids in the family business.
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They don’t play UAB for a very different reason. It was Bear Bryant’s son that got football discontinued at UAB. If he could, he would shut down the entire school. If not for the overwhelming fan revolt, and a bunch of money to boot, UAB football would not have been resurrected.
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zamir white is a dawg
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90% of OSU’s games are cupcakes games. They still make the playoffs every year. This is what pisses me off.
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WOW!! I’ve lived to see the Ga. So. program start from point zero, win national tittles at their level, move up a level to D1, and now we won’t play them because of fear of failure. Think I’ll add that to the list of things I never thought I’d live to see. If we can’t beat GSU in a given season, our problem isn’t having played them.
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Why bother putting in all the prep work for a triple option, risk injuries with the blocking schemes for a mid major? It really is all the down side of GT in many aspects with even less reward.
Yes UGA should win but with all the other options why bother with GSU when easier games can be scheduled for the same or less money?
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One of the main points of the article was we are paying a high premium for out of state cupcakes when we could play GSU for less.
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Again that does not include revenue lost by B-M not selling the tickets directly.
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After reading the comments, I understand why the Georgia Way persists. We have some weak-@$$ fans who are scared of playing Georgia Southern. We have no right to aspire to being a championship caliber program if we are scared of playing a freakin cupcake like Southern. Kirby might as well leave now if that’s the attitude we’re going to roll with. I’ll head out the door too.
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Don’t let the doorknob hit you in the ass on the way out.
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