The Georgia Bulldogs bolstered their already-impressive non-conference schedules with a meeting with Clemson and others should follow their lead.
Say what you will about the Georgia Bulldogs football program but at least Kirby Smart‘s team isn’t afraid of putting tough games on their non-conference schedule.
Georgia already plays the in-state rival Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate every Thanksgiving Weekend. Though Georgia has dominated the rivalry of late, we should expect Geoff Collins’ team to give the Dawgs some push in the coming years. While an eight-game SEC slate and an ACC rival may satisfy most teams, Georgia is always looking to improve its schedule.
On Tuesday morning, Stadium’s Brett McMurphy reported Georgia will play the Clemson Tigers at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte in 2021. These two southeastern powers used to meet all the time before conference expansion. They were slated to play each other five more times from 2024 to 2033 with two home-and-homes and at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta in 2024.
Georgia and Clemson briefly rekindled their rivalry with a home-and-home in 2013 and 2014 with the home team winning both games. These are the type of early-season games college football fans crave. Georgia has been a fixture at Chick-fil-A Kickoff games in Atlanta for years but has made it a point of late to dial-up home-and-homes with other Power 5 schools.
Since Smart arrived back at his alma mater in 2016, Georgia has played the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff and had a home-and-home with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Georgia’s 2017 road game to South Bend was the Dawgs’ first game north of the Mason-Dixon Line in decades. That game helped jumpstart Georgia on its best season since 1982.
So far, Georgia has been rewarded by playing big-time games against opponents it doesn’t have to in the non-conference during Smart’s tenure. The Dawgs are 3-0 in that department since 2016. It’s something Georgia has prioritized as an athletic department and other Power 5 institutions should do the same.
Just look at all these cool games Georgia has on the slate in the coming years.
In the next 14 college football seasons, Georgia will play at least one Power 5 opponent in the non-conference that doesn’t include Georgia Tech. Four will be neutral-site affairs, including the 2020 Chick-fil-A Kickoff vs. the Virginia Cavaliers and the 2021 game vs. Clemson in Charlotte. Georgia is also totally comfortable with playing road games in incredibly hostile environments.
From 2023 to 2033, Georgia will play games on the road at the Oklahoma Sooners, the UCLA Bruins, the Florida State Seminoles, the Texas Longhorns, the Ohio State Buckeyes and twice at Clemson. Of course, all six Power 5 institutions will have to play Between the Hedges at Sanford Stadium too in the next decade in a half. These games are what make college football so much fun.
More importantly, adding these games does wonders for Georgia’s strength of schedule. If Georgia wins one of these high-profile games, helping them get to 11-1 or so, these ‘signature’ victories should help propel the Dawgs into future College Football Playoffs conversations. The Selection Committee loves these games and so do we as college football fans.
Adding tough non-conference games in the playoff era is counterintuitive, but more teams should be like Georgia. Some programs like the Alabama Crimson Tide are notorious for being unwilling to go on the road to a tough environment and play somebody good. Sure, teams like Alabama will play tough teams in the non-conference, but only at Bryant-Denny Stadium or on a neutral site.
While every Power 5 team should be able to play a few cupcakes each season, it should never be more than two. Plus, who wants to watch Georgia slaughter FCS cannon fodder or Group of 5 bottom-feeders thrice annually?
No, Georgia isn’t ducking any Power 5 conference in its pursuit of non-conference scheduling excellence. We see ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12 teams on its regular-season horizon. Georgia isn’t alone in its quest to make its non-conference slate matter again, but it is the shining example of having the stones to call somebody up and play them home, away or on any neutral site.
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