Speaking to 790 The Zone today, Clemson athletics director Terry Don Phillips said he “absolutely” expects the Tigers to play their future home-and-home football series against Georgia.
Last week, it was reported that Clemson was on the verge of canceling the series which is scheduled for 2013 at Clemson and 2014 at Georgia. With the ACC moving to a nine-game conference schedule (likely in 2013), the Tigers need to cancel one non-conference game in both 2013 and 2014.
This afternoon, Phillips discussed the issue on Barnhart & Durham on 790 The Zone, a sports radio station in Atlanta.
TDP: “One of the issues we’re grappling with is our non-conference schedule…we always want to play two SEC teams. Of course, obviously South Carolina, our rival, and another team from the SEC. Or if it’s not from the SEC…we’ve got Oklahoma State from the Big 12 that’s coming on…and our fans want to see those kind of games.”
Barnhart: “We know that you, with the nine-game schedule coming in, some years you’ll have four at home and five on the road. You’re talking to Georgia and trying to figure out whether that home-and-home you’ve got scheduled down the road makes sense for you.”
TDP: “Well absolutely, and we’ve got to make it fit somehow. But Georgia is such a terrific game that we all want to play, our coaches want to play, and our fans want to play. And that’s a game that is paramount that we work that out.”
Barnhart: “So you feel confident that you’ll be able to keep that home-and-home, you may have to move it around, but you feel confident you’ll be able to keep it?”
TDP: “Absolutely. We intend to do that and we’ve had good conversations with Greg (McGarity) and Georgia, and so, we…that’s one of those things we just believe very strongly that we’ve got to work out.”
Looks like the Clemson-Georgia series will survive, although the games could still be moved to different seasons.
If the two schools play in 2013 and 2014 as planned, the Tigers will have to cancel or postpone home games vs. Kent State or The Citadel in 2013 and Coastal Carolina or Central Michigan in 2014.
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