Georgia football may give Dabo Swinney a piece of what he wants
Earlier this week, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said he would love to play Georgia football more often. He may get his wish sooner, rather than later.
This past weekend, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said something that intrigued both Tigers fans and Georgia football fans. Swinney, wants to play the Bulldogs more often. In fact, Swinney wants Georgia and Clemson to renew their old rivalry on a yearly basis.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart has not yet responded to Swinney. But director of athletics Greg McGarity did, saying that Georgia and Clemson could play as soon as 2021. The Bulldogs have a bubble from 2021-to-2024 where they don’t have a power-5 team scheduled besides Georgia Tech. Clemson’s non-conference schedules for 2022 and 2023 are full though.
However, the Tigers are free in 2021 and 2024 for some kind of get together in those years. They could meet in Athens in 2021 and Clemson in 2024, of vice versa. A pair of meetings on a neutral site could work as well.
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The Chick-fil-A Season Kickoff Game is booked through 2021 so the earliest Georgia and Clemson could meet in Atlanta is 2024. But the Camping World Kickoff in Orlando does not yet have a match set for 2021. It’s a bit out of the way for Georgia and Clemson, but both fan bases travel well. Besides, who turns down trips to Orlando?
There’s also the Advocare Classic in Dallas and the Texas Kickoff in Houston. Neither Georgia or Clemson played in either of those games yet. We also haven’t seen the last of the Battle at Bristol and SunTrust Park in Atlanta has expressed interest in hosting college football games.
After 2026 though, both teams have clear schedules besides Clemson’s games with Notre Dame that are part of a deal between the Fighting Irish and the ACC. Those games are scheduled by the ACC and aren’t on a set rotation. The Tigers and the Irish meet in 2020, 2022, 2023, 2027, 2028, 2031, 2034 and 2037.
So, that only leaves seven years in the next 20 for Georgia and Clemson to play. Unless the Tigers are okay with playing South Carolina, Notre Dame and Georgia all in the same year. But because of the ACC’s deal with Notre Dame, Georgia and Clemson playing every year will probably never happen.
However, in the first article about this topic, I suggested that Georgia and Clemson agree to meet in impromptu games if both have an opening in the same year that isn’t filled with another team before a certain time. 2026 for instance. Georgia and Clemson both have openings, but Clemson starts a home-and-home with Notre Dame in 2027.
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If neither team can find a power-5 opponent for 2026 by 2024, they can agree to meet at one location in 2026. Then the next time this happens, they can play at the other team’s stadium. All the while, they can negotiate for home-and-home series’ when Clemson has a bubble in the non-conferences schedules.
Either way, Georgia and Clemson reviving their rivalry is great for both fan bases. But now that both teams are national title contenders who recruit on a high level, the rivalry is great for college football in general.