Georgia v. Texas in 2007?

The Bulldogs still have a hole in next year's schedule and Damon Evans is searching diligently for a team to face the Red and Black in Georgia's season opener on September 1, 2007.

For a while, it looked like Oregon State would fill the void, but, when that deal fell through, I got behind the idea of playing Auburn early. Subsequent developments, however, have caused me to change my mind . . . more specifically, to change my mind back.

When this issue was first discussed last January, I took the view that Georgia should play Texas. I have now reverted to my original opinion.

If it happens, I nominate John Lastinger for honorary game captain.

Despite the Bulldogs' recent series of struggles, Mark Richt has rebuilt a championship program in Athens and a school of Georgia's caliber should be playing non-conference opponents with top-tier pedigrees.

There can be no doubt that Texas boasts such a program, both presently and historically. The 'Dawgs and the 'Horns have faced one another in the past and a game between two major Southern programs of this stature next Labor Day weekend would be good for both schools, as well as for the sport as a whole.

To no one's surprise, the Texas faithful, who routinely display confidence with class, are enthusiastic about the possibility and Burnt Orange Nation's principal author, Peter Bean, is on board for the idea. Meanwhile, connections between the two athletic departments might work in favor of the matchup, as well.

Let's get on this, Bulldog Nation. Write the athletic directors of both schools, each of whom needs a game on September 1 to fill a spot on the schedule, and steer them in the direction of one another.

Whether the contest is in Athens, Austin, or a neutral site somewhere in between, this is a game that needs to happen as two of the sport's most prominent programs, featuring two of college football's rising stars in quarterbacks Colt McCoy and Matthew Stafford and showcasing two of the nation's most successful coaches in Mack Brown and Mark Richt, face off for the first time since the 1984 Cotton Bowl.

Here is the contact information for each school's athletic director:

Go 'Dawgs!