UGA football: Revival of the Georgia, Clemson rivalry for the new era of college football

Premier non-conference games bring in more fans and money

The revival of the Georgia-Clemson rivalry is as much about the current college football climate as it is about the series’ history.

All over the nation, upper-echelon college football teams are scheduling more-and-more games against similar opponents. And they’re not just playing one such game a year, some teams are packing their non-conference slates with other power-five schools.

Aside from Clemson, Georgia also has upcoming games against Virginia (2020), Oregon (2022), Oklahoma (2023 and 2031), UCLA (2025-26), Florida State (2027-28), Texas (2028-29) and Ohio State (2030-31). Clemson has a similar gauntlet, thanks in part to the ACC’s deal with Notre Dame.

Tennessee, Alabama, Ohio State, Texas, Oklahoma, Oregon, even Florida have bought into this new scheduling philosophy. But what prompted this new philosophy in the first place? In short, money. Lots of money, but not necessarily greed.

Last season, after a blowout win over New Mexico State, Alabama head coach Nick Saban criticized the Crismon Tide fans for leaving Bryant-Denny Stadium early and said Alabama tried to schedule the best schools it can. Saban continued to say he’d rather play 12 games against power-five opponents so “all the games are exciting for the fans, all the games are good football.”

This new scheduling philosophy is all about fans, or their wallets if that’s how you choose to see it. A bigger game doesn’t just equal more fans in the stands, but it also means the fans are willing to pay more money to attend. Bigger games also mean playing on a more favorable TV channel at a more favorable time. All of that equals more money for the teams involved.

Many power-five teams have wanted to shift scheduling in this direction for years, but a fear of losing has always held them back. Why risk losing with another elite opponent on the schedule when the powers-at-be won’t punish you for going undefeated with a softer schedule?

Now that everyone has bought into this scheduling philosophy, the risk isn’t there anymore. Having one loss doesn’t hurt if everyone has at least one loss.