TAMPA, Fla. -- The catcalls and guffaws began as soon as the reports began streaming out. Then on Wednesday morning, when Georgia’s 2012 SEC schedule was unveiled, the criticism got louder.
There is little denying that Georgia caught a break in the changes that were made. The Bulldogs no longer will have to play Alabama, as originally scheduled, and will also still miss LSU and Arkansas, the other top teams from the SEC West.
When the SEC released the revisions, necessitated by expansion, it made Georgia the early favorite to win the East.
“We can’t help who we play; we don’t make the schedule,” said Jarvis Jones, Georgia’s sophomore All-America linebacker. “So we just go out there and any chance we get, we try to make the best of it.”
There were three main changes to Georgia’s original 2012 schedule:
Missouri, the conference’s newest member, which was placed in the SEC East, replaces Alabama on the schedule. Missouri will host Georgia on Sept. 8, in an SEC inaugural game for Missouri, which is likely to get a prime television spot.
The Georgia-South Carolina game, normally held the second weekend of the season, was shifted to Oct. 6. That was when Georgia was originally set to play at Alabama.
Finally, instead of having a bye prior to the Florida game Oct. 27, the Bulldogs will visit Kentucky, a game originally set for Oct. 13.
Otherwise Georgia’s schedule remained intact, including non-conference games against Buffalo, Florida Atlantic, Georgia Southern and Georgia Tech. The SEC chose not to interrupt a home-and-home with Mississippi, which will visit Athens in 2012. But Alabama, the nation’s No. 2 ranked team, will not start its home-and-home with Georgia until later.
Meanwhile, South Carolina’s non-division games are LSU (No. 1 this year) on the road and Arkansas (No. 7) at home. Florida’s are at Texas A&M (the SEC opener for the former Big 12 team) and LSU at home.
Missouri gets Alabama at home and finishes the conference schedule with three road games against South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas A&M.
Georgia athletics director Greg McGarity, who took part in the meetings that determined the schedule, said the changes might not be as advantageous as perceived.
“I understand what people say. But I can assure you I don’t think there’s any athletic director in the conference that’s going to stay their schedule is not challenging,” McGarity said. “We don’t know what it’s like to go to Missouri and play. I’m sure with that being their first game in league play, I’m sure that’s an atmosphere that’s going to be crazy when they play. Just like it’s going to be crazy on College Station’s schedule when Florida plays there.”
Georgia’s conference opponents for 2012 had a combined record of 18-38 in the conference this season, and that doesn’t count Missouri, which was 5-4 in the Big 12. Those eight SEC opponents were 49-48 this season overall.
Bulldogs head coach Mark Richt, speaking at an Outback Bowl news conference, declined to comment on the 2012 schedule.
“I think the focus should be this game, and that’s what we really wanna be focused on,” he said. “I don’t wanna get too far down the road. Let’s finish up this season and then we’ll talk about those things in the future.”
McGarity and the SEC now have to look to the future ,as well. The schedule for 2013 and beyond is up in the air, and deciding on 2012’s slate may not have much effect on it.
The conference will try to keep some continuity in the existing schedule rotation, but that will be hard. McGarity said the conference could essentially start from scratch. It’s even possible Alabama won’t be on the schedule in 2013.
“I don’t know. I don’t know what we will be looking at or viewing at because there’s been so much focus on the 2012 schedule,” McGarity said.
Georgia 2012 schedule
Sept. 1: Buffalo
Sept. 8: at Missouri
Sept. 15: Florida Atlantic
Sept. 22: Vanderbilt
Sept. 29: Tennessee
Oct. 6: at South Carolina
Oct. 20: at Kentucky
Oct. 27: vs. Florida (Jacksonville)
Nov. 3: Mississippi
Nov. 10: at Auburn
Nov. 17: Georgia Southern
Nov. 24: Georgia Tech
SEC 2012 football schedules
ALABAMA
Sept. 1: vs Michigan in Arlington, Texas
Sept. 8: W. Kentucky
Sept. 15: at Arkansas
Sept. 22: Florida Atlantic
Sept. 29: Mississippi
Oct. 13: at Missouri
Oct. 20: at Tennessee
Oct. 27: Mississippi State
Nov. 3: at LSU
Nov. 10: Texas A&M
Nov. 17: W. Carolina
Nov. 24: Auburn
ARKANSAS
Sept. 1: Jacksonville St.
Sept. 8: Louisiana-Monroe
Sept. 15: Alabama
Sept. 22: tbd
Sept. 29: vs. Texas A&M
Oct. 6: at Auburn
Oct. 13: Kentucky
Oct. 20: tbd
Oct. 27: Mississippi
Nov. 3: Tulsa
Nov. 10: at South Carolina
Nov. 17: at Mississippi State
Nov. 24: LSU
AUBURN
Sept. 8: at Mississippi State
Sept. 22: LSU
Oct. 6: Arkansas
Oct. 13: at Mississippi
Oct. 20: at Vanderbilt
Oct. 27: Texas A&M
Nov. 10: Georgia
Nov. 24: at Alabama
non-conference: Clemson, ULM, New Mexico State, Alabama A&M, tbd
FLORIDA
Sept. 1: Bowling Green
Sept. 8: at Texas A&M
Sept. 15: at Tennessee
Sept. 22: Kentucky
Oct. 6: LSU
Oct. 13: at Vanderbilt
Oct. 20: South Carolina
Oct. 27: vs. Georgia (Jacksonville)
Nov. 3: Missouri
Nov. 10: La.-Lafayette
Nov. 17: Jacksonville St.
Nov. 24: at Florida St.
KENTUCKY
Sept. 1: at Louisville
Sept. 8: Kent St.
Sept. 15: W. Kentucky
Sept. 22: at Florida
Sept. 29: South Carolina
Oct. 6: Mississippi St.
Oct. 13: at Arkansas
Oct. 20: Georgia
Oct. 27: at Missouri
Nov. 3: Vanderbilt
Nov. 17: Samford
Nov. 24: at Tennessee
LSU
Sept. 1: North Texas
Sept. 8: Washington
Sept. 15: Idaho
Sept. 22: at Auburn
Sept. 29: Towson
Oct. 6: at Florida
Oct. 13: South Carolina
Oct. 20: at Texas A&M
Nov. 3: Alabama
Nov. 10: Mississippi St.
Nov. 17: Mississippi
Nov. 24: at Arkansas
MISSISSIPPI
Sept. 1: Central Arkansas
Sept. 8: UTEP
Sept. 15: Texas
Sept. 22: at Tulane
Sept. 29: at Alabama
Oct. 6: TEXAS A&M
Oct. 13: AUBURN
Oct. 27: at Arkansas
Nov. 3: at Georgia
Nov. 10: VANDERBILT
Nov. 17: at LSU
Nov. 24: MISSISSIPPI STATE
MISSISSIPPI STATE
Sept. 1: Jackson St.
Sept. 8: Auburn
Sept. 15: at Troy
Sept. 22: South Alabama
Oct. 6: at Kentucky
Oct. 13: Tennessee
Oct. 20: Middle Tennessee
Oct. 27: at Alabama
Nov. 3: Texas A&M
Nov. 10: at LSU
Nov. 17: Arkansas
Nov. 24: at Mississippi
MISSOURI
Sept. 1: open date or non-conference opponent
Sept. 8: Georgia
Sept. 15: Arizona St.
Sept. 22: at South Carolina
Sept. 29: open date or non-conference opponent
Oct. 6: Vanderbilt
Oct. 13: Alabama
Oct. 20: open date or non-conference opponent
Oct. 27: Kentucky
Nov. 3: at Florida
Nov. 10: at Tennessee
Nov. 17: open date or non-conference opponent
Nov. 24: at Texas A&M
SOUTH CAROLINA
Aug. 30: at Vanderbilt
Sept. 8: East Carolina
Sept. 15: UAB
Sept. 22: Missouri
Sept. 29: at Kentucky
Oct. 6: Georgia
Oct. 13: at LSU
Oct. 20: at Florida
Oct. 27: Tennessee
Nov. 10: Arkansas
Nov. 17: Wofford
Nov. 24: Clemson
TENNESSEE
Sept. 1: N.C. State in Atlanta
Sept. 8: Georgia St.
Sept. 15: Florida
Sept. 22: Akron
Sept. 29: at Georgia
Oct. 13: at Mississippi State
Oct. 20: Alabama
Oct. 27: at South Carolina
Nov. 3: Troy
Nov. 10: Missouri
Nov. 17: at Vanderbilt
Nov. 24: Kentucky
TEXAS A&M
Sept. 1: McNeese St.
Sept. 8: Florida
Sept. 15: SMU in Dallas
Sept. 22: open date or non-conference opponent
Sept. 29: vs. Arkansas
Oct. 6: at Mississippi
Oct. 13: open date or non-conference opponent
Oct. 20: LSU
Oct. 27: at Auburn
Nov. 3: at Mississippi State
Nov. 10: at Alabama
Nov. 17: open date or non-conference opponent
Nov. 24: Missouri
VANDERBILT
Aug. 30: South Carolina
Sept. 8: at Northwestern
Sept. 15: Presbyterian
Sept. 22: at Georgia
Oct. 6: at Missouri
Oct. 13: Florida
Oct. 20: Auburn
Oct. 27: UMass
Nov. 3: at Kentucky
Nov. 10: Mississippi
Nov. 17: Tennessee
Nov. 24: at Wake Forest
