Tradition matters in college football. At least, that has been the case until recently.
A lot has changed over the past couple of years, including players being able to capitalize on their name, image and likeness rights (spawning collectives accused of trying to “buy” recruits with promises of NIL deals); the transfer portal (which pretty much has made college players free agents, meaning coaches can’t be sure from one season to the next which players might bolt to another school); and the impending fruit basket-turnover of conference memberships, sparked by the announcement that Texas and Oklahoma are joining the SEC.
However, those aren’t the only changes threatening to remake the game we love, perhaps bringing an end to some long-treasured traditions.
One of the biggest issues hanging over the game right now is how conference schedules will evolve to accommodate membership changes. This was the subject of considerable debate at the recent SEC spring meetings, where there was no consensus over which football schedule format the conference will adopt as Texas and Oklahoma join up. They kicked that can down the road for later consideration.
How this plays out might end some long-time annual rivalries.
And, on more of a fan level, there are possible changes to game-day rituals that might be wrought by an upcoming renovation of Sanford Stadium.
Of course, Dawgs fans have been seeing traditions go away for some time now — first, Picture Day; then, actual printed game programs no longer being available.
Next up might be the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry, between Georgia and Auburn, as well as fans getting to gather on the Sanford Drive Bridge for an overview of the pre-game Dawg Walk.
And, there’s no telling what other traditions might fall — don’t book those hotel rooms in Jacksonville too many years in advance.
Let’s deal with the rivalry issue first. Everyone pretty much agrees that the conference needs to get rid of its two divisions when Texas and Oklahoma join a 16-team SEC (probably in 2025). Under the current format, schools in different divisions go as much as a dozen years without playing each other. The two schedule formats that have been put forth would see everyone playing everyone over a four-year span.
Under the 1-7 plan, schools would continue to play just eight conference games, keeping one “primary” rival on a yearly basis, and rotating through the other schools with the seven remaining games.
Under this plan, SEC schools still would have four nonconference games, to accommodate in-state rivalries who aren’t in the conference, neutral-site Power 5 opponents, and cupcake games, where some lesser opponent no one is interested in seeing is paid a chunk of change to come pad the home team’s win total.
Despite the fact that Georgia and Auburn have played each other since 1892, their annual game is considered one of the SEC’s “secondary” school rivalries, while the annual Georgia-Florida clash is a primary rivalry, as is Alabama-Auburn.
Under the 1-7 plan, secondary rivalries such as Georgia-Auburn no longer would be played every year. Neither would Tennessee-Alabama. Heck, under this plan, not even the resumption of the Texas and Texas A&M rivalry would be on a yearly basis.
Also impacted would be a rivalry that means more to one of UGA’s opponents than to the Dawgs: South Carolina considers next-door neighbor Georgia its primary conference rival, but, under the eight-game plan, the border clash no longer would be an every-year thing.
Meanwhile, under the 3-6 plan, schools would play nine conference games, keeping three permanent rivals and rotating through the conference with the other six games. Under this plan, there’d be one less nonconference game, meaning you’d be less likely to see the Samfords, Kent States and UT Martins coming to Athens. What a shame.
If this is the plan the conference goes with, Florida and Auburn obviously will be two of Georgia’s three permanent opponents. While some would like to see Tennessee be the third (not me), the conference could solve that South Carolina problem by making the Gamecocks the Dawgs’ third yearly rival (which would suit me and a lot of other fans just fine).
Of course, it’s abundantly clear to most college football observers that the nine-game, 3-6 model is what the conference should go with, and that is the plan reportedly favored by the SEC’s most successful schools. It’s logical, and many are convinced it’s what the conference ultimately will choose.
But, logic doesn’t always win when faced with petty self-interest, and some schools that generally occupy the middle or lower tiers of the SEC football standings reportedly favor the eight-game plan. They fear that playing an additional conference game would make it more difficult for them to achieve enough wins to qualify for a lucrative bowl game at the end of a mediocre season. It’s all about the Benjamins.
There are other complicating factors, too, including TV revenues, and the uncertainty over when and by how much the College Football Playoff will expand (might adding a ninth conference game make it more difficult for the SEC to get two members in if the CFP sticks with four teams for a while?)
Still, for traditionalists, keeping those so-called secondary matchups, like Georgia-Auburn and Alabama-Tennessee, is more important than whether the likes of Kentucky, Vanderbilt or Arkansas go to a bowl. Let’s face it, tradition is one of the few things keeping the Divison 1 college game from becoming just a group of NFL development leagues.
Last time the SEC redid its schedules, Georgia got screwed by having to play at Auburn two years in a row. The conference owes UGA. Will the school call in that marker? Athletic Director Josh Brooks is playing it coy. “Those things are important but, again, we’re 1/16th, right?” he told reporters.
Count Georgia head coach Kirby Smart among the supporters of nine conference games. “It’s hard, because I really want to add the game, but I want to do it more for the fans,” Smart told SEC Network’s Paul Finebaum. “I really feel like fans and the consumers that come to our games, they want the best games. They want the intraconference. They want to see SEC play SEC teams. So, I want to give them what they want.”
Another tradition that might be altered by impending change is the Dawg Walk. Under the plans for a $63.5 million two-phase renovation of Sanford Stadium — which will widen the south side concourse, add restrooms and build a new tower for the press box, so that its former location can become lucrative box seating — the Sanford Drive bridge (officially known as the Gillis Bridge), reportedly would become a part of the stadium on game days, requiring a ticket for access.
Since that portion of Sanford Drive already is closed to vehicular traffic on game days, it’s a major pedestrian thoroughfare that would be lost to fans.
However, another possible issue with this plan is that the bridge also is where lots of fans gather to watch the players and coaches parade into the stadium during the Dawg Walk, held in the Tate Center parking lot down below. It’s even where the Redcoats’ solo trumpeter opens the Battle Hymn during Dawg Walk.
If a ticket is required to access the bridge — and you’re not allowed to exit and re-enter the stadium once your electronic ticket has been scanned — that would seem to preclude many fans (including a lot of kids) watching the Dawg Walk from the bridge.
So, yeah, making the bridge a part of the stadium on game days seems like questionable move, because of Dawg Walk, and because it will make it more difficult to get from the south to the north, and vice versa.
LIGHTNING ROUND
Here are some quickie notes and observations concerning UGA athletics: I’ve heard from several people wondering when season ticket holders will find out whether or not they’re getting tickets to the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game against Oregon in Atlanta. Andrew Sadler of the Georgia Bulldog Club replies: “The deadline for donors to submit the request application was May 27th. Similar to last year, accounts should be notified by the Ticket Office towards the end of July which games they were allocated and then cards would be charged in early August.” …
Running back Garrison Hearst and former head coach Mark Richt are UGA’s representatives on the 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Ballot. The ballot was sent to the more than 12,000 National Football Foundation members and current Hall of Famers, whose votes will pick the inductees. I must say, I was a bit surprised by some of the nasty comments so-called Dawgs “fans” posted on social media about Richt being included. While he might not have won the national championship everyone wanted, Richt was a consistent winner in Athens and, more than that, always showed class. The commenters dissing him, on the other hand, showed no class. …
Following in the footsteps of legend Jack Bauerle, who retired recently as UGA’s swimming and diving coach, will be big task for his replacements, Sefanie Williams Moreno (for the women’s teams) and Neil Versfeld (for the men’s). Bauerle, a towering figure in college swimming, has kept Georgia in the top tier of swimming, particularly women’s, for a long time. His national title haul (seven) is second only at UGA to the Gym Dogs’ Suzanne Yoculan (10). He also won 12 SEC titles with the women’s team, and had 62 different men and women on his teams win 175 national championships.
However, the new coaches both have worked for Bauerle as associate head coaches, and they were promoted on his recommendation. “They are game-ready,” Bauerle said. “I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to have them to continue the legacy we’ve built over the years.”
Let’s hope he’s right, because UGA’s overall athletics program needs all the big winners it can get. Despite a national championship in football this year, the school currently ranks No. 21 in the Directors’ Cup standings (which won’t be final until baseball is finished). That is down from a 10th place finish last year. …
I was amused watching Dawgs fans get all in a tizzy over those photos posted of some recruits (including Arch Manning) posing for pictures in Athens wearing all-white UGA uniforms, featuring a white helmet with red and black stripes, in addition to the power G. I figured all along they were just a photo op gimmick for recruiting, and the AJC’s Chip Towers confirmed that. Asked by Towers about the chances of Georgia playing a game in the all-white uniforms, a person familiar with Bulldogs football operations responded with an all-cap text: “ZERO.”
From what I saw on social media, it seems like younger fans might be more amenable to an all-white uniform than older fans would be, although my brother Tim suggested perhaps they could use the alternate uniforms in the G-Day game or when they play the Trade School in Atlanta.
Personally, I love Georgia’s red lids, red jerseys and sort-of-silver britches, but I am not opposed to the occasional alternate uniform, as long as it’s not a monstrosity like that Power Rangers thing Nike cooked up a few years ago. I like the idea of wearing the black jerseys maybe once a season, and I wouldn’t mind the red britches being trotted out with the white road jerseys occasionally. Maybe the red pants could rotate with all-white kit for the first road game of each season (not counting neutral-site games). …
The Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame has announced the 100 candidates in contention for 36 spots in the inaugural class, to be inducted in October. I was pleased to see that, among UGA’s many representatives on the list is my Athens High classmate Andy Johnson, though, curiously, the GHSF had him listed as a running back. He played quarterback for the Trojans, as he did at Georgia. I did think it was strange that, as one Facebook commenter noted, there’s no placekicker on the list, not even College Football Hall of Famer Kevin Butler of Stone Mountain’s Redan High School. Maybe they’ll correct that oversight in their second class.
