If Georgia State can defeat Georgia Southern in football Saturday and earn that sixth win that would make the Panthers bowl-eligible, it could have a game-changing effect on a program that’s received mostly ridicule since it started playing in 2010.
“When you start a football program and play FBS, you want to have a viable program,” Athletic Director Charlie Cobb said. “Playing bowls is part of that.
“As we saw with the basketball runs, there are a lot of Georgia State supporters in the Atlanta area. If you can give them a reason to get excited …”
Until the past month when Trent Miles’ team started a three-game win streak that is carrying them into Statesboro, the Panthers were known mostly for losing. The team posted two wins over the 2012-14 seasons. That total was tied with Savannah State for the fewest of any FBS or FCS team during that span.
The team’s attendance, which often looked (and was) poor in the cavernous Georgia Dome, was message-board material for its rivals.
All that might change should the Panthers, who were more than 20-point underdogs earlier in the week, defeat the Eagles and receive an invitation to a bowl.
“It starts a winning tradition and gives great exposure to program and school,” Georgia State offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski said. “People can rally around that. Our student body can rally around a winner. I think that’s what they are waiting for.”
Jagodzinski said there are parallels between what is going on at Georgia State and what happened when he was an assistant at East Carolina. The Pirates hadn’t played in a bowl game in 14 years before 1992, when they defeated N.C. State in the Peach Bowl in the last football game played at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. The Pirates have played in 13 bowl games since.
The exposure Georgia State received after R.J. Hunter made the 30-foot 3-pointer in the second round of the NCAA tournament was immeasurable. Seasons’ worth of media requests flooded the sports-communications office, providing more opportunities for the school. It’s not a coincidence the men’s basketball team recently signed two of the better high school players in the state, recruits that they may not have had a chance to get without the win.
The impact of simply making a bowl game wouldn’t lead to a barrel full of four- and five-star recruits, but there would be an impact in recruiting and possibly in donations.
The extra practice times, and the fact that the Panthers would be the only team in the city going to a bowl, would bring more media exposure.
Of course, there’s also the $300 million Turner Field proposal that the university is eager to start should its bid for the property be the winner. Cobb said there have been discussions about how to take advantage of the possibility of playing in a bowl.
“Every ounce of coverage will benefit all that we are trying to do,” Cobb said. “Reality is it gives us another story to tell about Georgia State athletics and about the university. The competitive success of the hasn’t been great the last two years. A chance to play in the postseason is another great story to tell. We are looking for every positive story we can to talk about Georgia State athletics.”
About the Author
