Although the Georgia Bulldogs and the Clemson Tigers are set to renew their rivalry in 2013 and 2014, Dr. Saturday is right that a season-opening date in the Dome represents a golden opportunity for the old rivals to meet up at a neutral site for a game that actually counts.
Paul Westerdawg wants to schedule a game in the Dome in 2011 by dropping the increasingly unattractive series with the Louisville Cardinals. The problem is that I have no interest in playing a regular-season neutral site game in Atlanta against any opponent other than Clemson, and it isn’t clear that the Country Gentlemen are available in 2011.
ACC expansion already caused the Tigers to ditch a 2011 home date with the Oklahoma Sooners, and Clemson later picked up a 2011 home game against the Auburn Tigers. Will the Fort Hill Felines want to play Georgia in the Peach State during a season in which they host another historically strong SEC program and face ACC road outings against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Virginia Tech Hokies? I doubt it.
If we want to schedule a series with another ACC opponent---say, the North Carolina Tar Heels---let’s arrange a pair of home-and-home dates that have the ‘Dawgs hosting UNC between the hedges and traveling to Chapel Hill. If we want to face an Atlantic Coast Conference team other than Georgia Tech in Atlanta and it isn’t going to be Clemson, let’s do it on the hardwood rather than on the gridiron. If Damon Evans can get the Tigers on board for a 2011 season opener in the City Too Busy to Hate, I’ll order my tickets to that one right now. If it’s a non-rival team from the ACC, it’s a waste of our time, as we’ll be playing a team that is not in our weight class historically and giving that opponent an assist in its Peach State recruiting. Thanks, but no thanks.
Go ‘Dawgs!