Middle Tennessee to play at Georgia and Kentucky in 2018

By Kevin Kelley -

The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders will play at the Georgia Bulldogs and the Kentucky Wildcats in 2018, the school announced on Wednesday.

Middle Tennessee will travel to face Georgia at Sanford Stadium in Athens on Sept. 15, 2018. In their first and only meeting back in 2003, the Blue Raiders fell to the Bulldogs in Athens 29-10.

The Blue Raiders will visit Commonwealth Stadium in Lexington to take on Kentucky on Nov. 17, 2018. The Wildcats were victorious in two previous meetings — 44-22 in 2002 and 20-14 in 2008, both in Lexington.

“These are two games that will be very easy for our fans to attend,” said Middle Tennessee Director of Athletics Chris Massaro. “It’s always fun to measure ourselves against the SEC and this will be two more tremendous opportunities.”

Middle Tennessee, a member of Conference USA, is 8-4 this season and is set to play the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors in the Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve.

Georgia and Kentucky are the second and third SEC teams that Middle Tennessee will play in 2018. The Blue Raiders are also slated to open the season at Vanderbilt on Sept. 1.

The Georgia Bulldogs have now tentatively completed their non-conference schedule in 2018. UGA also hosts UMass (Nov. 17), Georgia Tech (Nov. 24), and Murray State (date TBA; previously Sept. 15).

Kentucky also has four non-conference games scheduled with the addition of Middle Tennessee. The Wildcats open the season vs. Central Michigan (Sept. 1), travel to Louisville (Nov. 24), and host Chattanooga (date TBA; previously Nov. 17).

Football Schedules

Comments (16)

3 SEC teams in the same year? I guess they need the cash. I’d bet they’ll get about $2.7M between the 3…

MTSU has beaten Vandy and Georgia Tech in past years… they’re not chump change. Credit to them stepping up to a schedule befitting a Big XII team! Heh.

If every team in the BigXII played in the SECLeast and scheduled an FCS and two low tier Sun belt or MAC teams they would all be 8-4, 7-5, too.

THere is no truth to this comment, just ask the teams below from the Big-12.
Kansas lost to Ohio
Iowa St lost to N.Iowa
Oklahoma St lost to C. Michigan

Only two SEC East teams played Mac this year, Mizz had E.Michigan which is going bowling & Tenn had Ohio which had a great game in the Mac Championship against W.Mich.

O-Da-Do-Da-Day……

You want truth or stats or records in your arguments? About time. Just try and apply when talking about all conferences, not just the SEC. I do every time. As I post about all schedules. Like true fans do.

Jackstriker,

The only reason I bring up the SEC is because people like you ( & your alternate personalities) are always bashing them, once again you had to make some bone-ass remark calling the SEC (SECLeast).
The truth is, you only use stats & records when its applies to you & negative about the SEC.
I am not sure how many times & on multiple articles you had to post the SEC OOC record this year to make sure that all saw it, what a shame. True fan……lmao, you’re just a complainer.

Double-Wide Day,

I use stats and previous, current or future schedules to illustrate my points. always, except for the first post because now it is fun to get a rise out of SEC Trailer Trash boys. You just don’t like it when it does not fit your narrative.

So that is why you started with the insults about, “If the SEC was easy, it would be called your mom.”

This is why now I am going to bash you at every opportunity because it takes no effort and stats and records don’t lie.

Jackstriker,

You lie!
Show me one post that says I said anything about your mom, I am not a name caller nor do I even talk like that.
You have me confused with someone else & on that note I am done replying to your childish insults, name calling & add-ons that you try to make yourself sound funny. Next time before you blame someone for talking about your mom, GET THE PERSON RIGHT!

As a Georgia fan, the 2018 schedule is disappointing. Middle Tennessee is a respectable G5 opponent and the budget dictates 2 guarantee games per year at home, but UMass and Murray State are terrible games. Georgia plays two P5 OOC games most years (GT every year, Clemson in 2013 and 14, UNC in 16, Notre Dame in 17 and 19), but very disappointed about 2018 – I had hoped the last slot would be a quality nuetral site game.

Georgia could be in real trouble if UMass decides to drop back to FCS.

UMass will absolutely still be FBS in 2018. They have 11 games with FBS competition already scheduled. They’ve done their best to fill a schedule, and can pick up a 12th with any regional FCS team. 2019 might get tougher, but they already have 6 FBS contracted, and a game with FCS Maine. What saves them is (1) Bob Kraft likes having UMass games bring folks to Gillette, and then shop at Patriot Place, (2) they have a decent basketball program, and (3) they have the best college marching band in the northeastern US. Clearly, they are hoping the G5’s get raided, because they’d be a great fit in the American to replace schools lost.

David – good information. My original post was too negative about UMass. It’s really the combination of 2 G5 games plus an FCS game that I don’t like on Georgia’s schedule. UMass would be a good fit in the American, which could use another strong basketball program. I do think it is very difficult to stay independent in the long run these days.

I really like the fact that Georgia usually plays 2 P5 OOC’s each year. One of the very few teams in ANY conference that do that.