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Georgia Bulldogs look to add marquee non-conference games to schedule

By Danny Jaillet

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On Monday, Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity announced that non-conference games against marquee teams will happen soon.

It seems as though the SEC is focused on diversifying its schedule for the long-term. Back on April 28 Georgia Athletic Director Greg McGarity noted that he wanted the program to play “memorable” games against teams whose profile is higher.

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At the time, he mentioned Michigan and Ohio State as two teams he would like to see the Bulldogs play in the near future. He also hinted that Penn State would be another team he would be interested in playing. “”I think Penn State would be a great matchup,” McGarity said at the time.

Now, it appears his vision of playing big-time opponents in exciting series could happen very soon. On Monday, McGarity touched on this, via 247Sports.

“I’m not sure if we’ll have news at the board meeting (on Wednesday, May 20), possibly, but we’re still hoping to be able to do something in 30, 60, or 90 days on some future home and home games,” McGarity said when asked for an update on the scheduling.” But nothing as of right now.”

In addition to Penn State, USC and UCLA were programs he mentioned he would like to see Georgia face in the future. Something like this would not happen immediately, however. If this were to occur as McGarity noted, it would happen in no sooner than 2020 due to previous agreement.

“It would be in the 2020’s in some point in time,” he explained. “Because in 2016 we are playing North Carolina. In 2017 and 2019 we’re playing Notre Dame. So I would say if we could get two home and homes in the decade of the 20’s, that’d be great.”

This is a great idea in many ways. For starters, it brings SEC football to areas of the country where it may be missed. so crossing the two conferences like this gives fans an opportunity to experience the game from a different lens.

Secondly, it widens the net teams can use for recruiting. If Georgia were to play a game against a USC or UCLA it opens op the talent-rich state of California and the rest of the west coast to the program in Athens, GA. Schedule a game at Ohio State or Michigan and you open up the entire midwest to your program. The more eyes on your program, the better chances you have of landing out-of-state blue-chip recruits.

Lastly, the College Football Playoff places an emphasis on strength of schedule so for Georgia who already plays a tough SEC schedule challenges itself to play a program like USC or Ohio State they are putting themselves in position to enhance their resume in the eyes of the selection committee.

Georgia has a vision: They want to take on some of college football’s best teams in thrilling non-conference matchups and if more teams follow suit, the better it will be for the fans watching at home.

Next: Top 15 Non-Conference Games for 2015

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