Georgia Southern -- Never again (or at least no time soon)

[txsting]

I actually agree with you. It has nothing to do with being scared of them either. It just seems smart and prudent. We already have one other school that we compete with on an uneven playing field, where football runs the school and players are admitted without any real expectation that they are college material. All it would take is one more close game with GSU or, heaven forbid, a loss and suddenly Tech would no longer be considered a desirable place to play FBS level play in the state. Now GSU would be considered, along with Georgia, as a place to skate by in the classroom and work on your pro game. We already have more than enough competition for players in the state without giving GSU a free leg up based on our prestige and history. Playing GSU regularly would be a no-win situation for Tech. We get nothing out of it and stand to lose a lot.

I don't know. Those aren't bad points, but if southern it's really destined to rise to our level, wouldn't that occur independently of playing us? You are giving us perhaps too much credit. As long as they are not in the P5 they won't compete with us for recruits, period. Fritz said they don't have one player who was offered by tech. I would take several right now.

 

[DvilleJacket]

I'm down with playing them every year. Ugag not so much. We just can't compete with them anymore at football. Day we left the SEC is when we should have quit playing them annually. Play ugag every now and then and play GSU last game of the year.

 

[txsting]

Analogy: east Carolina has gotten an annual game with UNC for the last 6 years, and actually come away with 2 victories. They have come away with a bunch of ACC scalps over the past 7 years. Their recruiting rank is still in the 90's. I doubt many players are forgoing a chance to play at UNC to be a pirate.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I'm down with playing them every year. Ugag not so much. We just can't compete with them anymore at football. Day we left the SEC is when we should have quit playing them annually. Play ugag every now and then and play GSU last game of the year.

I actually like this idea of trading off or at least lessening the frequency of games against UGA by increasing games with GSU. I am not saying I want to see it happen, I am undecided. But I do think it is an intriguing thought.

I am getting pretty worn out about the GT-UGA game always being the last game of the regular season. I think that it is far harder on the Tech program to have that at the very end before post-season than it is for UGA; especially when they are so willing to play dirty and try and injure players in scrums, such as trying to twist up Nesbitt's ankles the week before we needed him leading the team in the ACC championship game.

Playing UGA at the beginning of the season would be nice for a change.

On GSU, I tend to prefer that they be allowed to develop and settle in for a bit longer after moving up a level. Let them win their new conference and get to some decent bowls and upset some bigger programs along the way. That way as they build more prestige it will lessen the negatives as far as risk for Tech to play them. They will simply have become a respectable team in a non power 5 conference and there are many such schools out there like that. At that point I would have more interest in Tech building a rivalry with them.

 

[Whiskey_Clear]

Just damn. The day we become too scared to play GSU or UGA....is the day I give up sports.

 

[augustabuzz]

I would be in favor of playing Ga Southern two out of every three or four years. If they need a home game to boost their average attendance to remain FBS, then play at the Dome every now and then.

 

[collegeballfan]

I actually like this idea of trading off or at least lessening the frequency of games against UGA by increasing games with GSU. I am not saying I want to see it happen, I am undecided. But I do think it is an intriguing thought.

I am getting pretty worn out about the GT-UGA game always being the last game of the regular season. I think that it is far harder on the Tech program to have that at the very end before post-season than it is for UGA; especially when they are so willing to play dirty and try and injure players in scrums, such as trying to twist up Nesbitt's ankles the week before we needed him leading the team in the ACC championship game.

Playing UGA at the beginning of the season would be nice for a change.

On GSU, I tend to prefer that they be allowed to develop and settle in for a bit longer after moving up a level. Let them win their new conference and get to some decent bowls and upset some bigger programs along the way. That way as they build more prestige it will lessen the negatives as far as risk for Tech to play them. They will simply have become a respectable team in a non power 5 conference and there are many such schools out there like that. At that point I would have more interest in Tech building a rivalry with them.

I agree on playing UGA earlier in the season. GT is in a conference and November games s/be conference games. That is when Conference and Division titles are settled.

 

[UgaBlows]

I'm not scared to play them but i do agree that there's no good incentive to do so. A loss to them is a season and possibly a coach killer, plus it gives them extra recruiting exposure in ATL.

 

[Techster]

I think the Southern game is great for us. Brings in a lot of fans, a good in state "name" school that has a good team so the product on the field should be very enjoyable. I really don't think GT needs to be scared to play Southern...or UGA for that matter. It says something that our fans are scared to lose. Maybe a game like this spurs the higher ups to think "Wait, maybe we need to do more to help this program or we might be the 3rd best team in the state soon."

I think GT should rotate in GSU, GA State, Kennesaw State, and Mercer in future schedules. All those "smaller" schools have large alumni bases in Georgia and would attract a strong crowd to BDS.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

I think the Southern game is great for us. Brings in a lot of fans, a good in state "name" school that has a good team so the product on the field should be very enjoyable. I really don't think GT needs to be scared to play Southern...or UGA for that matter. It says something that our fans are scared to lose. Maybe a game like this spurs the higher ups to think "Wait, maybe we need to do more to help this program or we might be the 3rd best team in the state soon."

I think GT should rotate in GSU, GA State, Kennesaw State, and Mercer in future schedules. All those "smaller" schools have large alumni bases in Georgia and would attract a strong crowd to BDS.

Rotation of several teams would be fine by me. I just don't want to play GSU regularly. There is nothing to be gained by it. Again, being scared has nothing to do with it. I would rather play Alabama every year than GSU. More to be gained and nothing to lose. And, unlike GSU, it probably would help our recruiting not hurt it.

 

[Bigb]

I agree on playing UGA earlier in the season. GT is in a conference and November games s/be conference games. That is when Conference and Division titles are settled.

This is not going to happen. The ACC made Louisville and Kentucky move their game to the same weekend as Clemson/SC, FSU/Florida, and Tech/UGA. It's now recognized conference wide as rivalry weekend. The GTAA isn't going to be able to do anything about it.

The Georgia game will remain at the end of the season. As it should. The day Tech wimps out and drops playing Georgia annually will be my last as a fan.

 

[redmule]

We should tie GSU to us as tight as we can. Play them every year, treat their fans like long lost brothers. Give them a home game. Make them love us. We already have a leg up with CPJ as our coach. They are a large and growing alumni base and will exert political and social influence in the state. We want them to come to hate uga and uga fans and love us. Same with Georgia State. We want both of them voting with us on the BOR. Almost every fan GSU gets comes directly from uga's base, and probably from the part of the state that has given uga the most talent in the last 50 years. A stronger program in South Georgia siphons off much more from uga than it does from us. GSU will drain media attention from uga around Savannah and Jacksonville. High schoolers there will be less likely to be uga zombies. uga will have to recruit South Georgia a little harder and might lose the good walk on or even a couple of recruits. uga has succeeded in making us appear strange to a large portion of the state. A good relationship with GSU would help mend that. Adding another sellout helps finances and recruiting. Sure, they will beat us in the future. But they will beat some other people, too.

 

[GTL]

Comment in chat during the game:

"Ain't gonna be no rematch".

 

[Boomergump]

I thought their fans were great and the energy in the stadium was palpable. Do we really want to base our decision of whether to start a series with them on the outcome of a single game? I thought it felt like the beginnings of a healthy rivalry. They are FBS now. Lets play the games and fill the seats.

 

[UgaBlows]

We should tie GSU to us as tight as we can. Play them every year, treat their fans like long lost brothers. Give them a home game. Make them love us. We already have a leg up with CPJ as our coach. They are a large and growing alumni base and will exert political and social influence in the state. We want them to come to hate uga and uga fans and love us. Same with Georgia State. We want both of them voting with us on the BOR. Almost every fan GSU gets comes directly from uga's base, and probably from the part of the state that has given uga the most talent in the last 50 years. A stronger program in South Georgia siphons off much more from uga than it does from us. GSU will drain media attention from uga around Savannah and Jacksonville. High schoolers there will be less likely to be uga zombies. uga will have to recruit South Georgia a little harder and might lose the good walk on or even a couple of recruits. uga has succeeded in making us appear strange to a large portion of the state. A good relationship with GSU would help mend that. Adding another sellout helps finances and recruiting. Sure, they will beat us in the future. But they will beat some other people, too.

i think they would quickly become another hated rival and vice versa, not that there's anything wrong with that ;-)

 

[MySouthernJacket]

I don't believe Southern will lose another game this season.

 

[presjacket]

You're comparing FCS games vs FBS games. The GTAA isn't going to drop Wofford or the like who get paid $250k to play in order to schedule Southern who just got $700k.

Did they bring enough fans to make up the $$$ difference?

 

[Bigb]

Did they bring enough fans to make up the $$$ difference?

It's not just GS fans, more Tech fans showed up to watch a game gainer a better opponent too.

However, reported attendance was only 7770 more. So paying an additional $500k for the better opponent bought us just under 8k more ticket sales. I doubt the average ticket price was $65 more.

Start factoring in increased concessions, merchandise, etc... Maybe.

 

[Stonewall]

It's not just GS fans, more Tech fans showed up to watch a game gainer a better opponent too.

However, reported attendance was only 7770 more. So paying an additional $500k for the better opponent bought us just under 8k more ticket sales. I doubt the average ticket price was $65 more.

Start factoring in increased concessions, merchandise, etc... Maybe.

If there was his much hype for this game imagine the next? It oughta be a sellout. Besides, it's a good game for both programs, IMO.

 

[Bigb]

Besides, it's a good game for both programs, IMO.

Then maybe GS is willing to give us a discount!