We have been waiting, like all of you, to get our first glimpse of the football schedule. It looks as unremarkable as most suspected, but there are a few takeaways.
September 3: The Tigers open the 2020 season on the road with the same opponent as last season, Georgia Tech. On the same night as well, Thursday. Georgia Tech is in year two of Coach Geoff Collins’ major overhaul and rebuild. They may be improved in 2020, but not improved enough to challenge the Tigers.
September 12: The Tigers’ home opener, the first of a 3 game home stand, is against Louisville. This year’s contest should be more competitive than last season, as the Cards could be ranked in the preseason, but the Tigers should win handily
September 19: The Akron Zips come to town. I understand the need for these games and it should be a nice stat builder for Trevor and Travis, but mostly this one is about playing time for the reserves.
September 26: The Virginia Cavaliers round out the month of September, as they arrive in Death Valley attempting to avenge the drubbing they took in the ACC Championship Game. Bronco Mendenhall will have his team ready and it could be a fun game for the first half, but the Cavs are losing a lot.
October 2: If it’s Friday night in Boston. it must be ACC football, right? Steve Adazzio has left the field, and former Ohio State defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley takes over. BC always plays hard and tough, and it will be interesting to see if that trend continues, but the Tigers are too talented and deep. Friday night road games can be tricky though.
October 10: The Tigers travel to Tallahassee, home of the once mighty FSU Seminoles in their first season under new head coach, Mike Norvell. I suspect there will eventually be some excitement, but how much depends on how much improvement they show under the new leadership.
October 17: After two weeks on the road, North Carolina State comes to town with their ever popular front man, Dave Doeren. All of the “LSU” chants by the Wolfpack faithful during the basketball teams recent trip to Raleigh won’t be forgotten by the defending ACC Champs. That helps equate to a ninth consecutive win for the good guys over the Pack.
October 24: The Syracuse Orange come to the Valley after a disappointing 2019 season and face the real “orange men,” in the Clemson Tigers. Presumably, Coach Babers will have his men ready but like most of the others in the ACC, it wont really matter, the talent gap is that substantial.
October 31: Bye week…. Great positioning for the Tigers, as they will have the benefit of an extra week to prepare for possibly the biggest game on the 2020 schedule.
November 7: The Tigers make the trek north, into the friendly confines of Notre Dame Stadium. It should be a whale of a ball game with weather more than likely being a factor. The Tigers will face a talented Brian Kelly team and will need to play smart, efficient football but I believe they fly home with a win.
November 14: The Citadel, aka ” The Mighty Coot Slayers”, will be our guest for Military Appreciation Day. The game will take a back seat to the spectacular scene surrounding the spectacle that is Military Appreciation Day. The Citadel will play with heart and determination but the FCS school is no match for the FBS powerhouse.
November 21: Wake Forest will welcome the Tigers to Winston Salem for what I believe, is the friendliest, most beautiful road trip I’ve been on. Wake Forest looked great through the middle of the 2019 season but were the victims of some bad luck injury wise down the stretch. They are replacing their QB after his transfer to Georgia, and will no doubt have some rebuilding to do. The Tigers should roll… all the way to the original Krispy Kreme, for postgame victory dancing and doughnuts.
November 28: UofSC arrives in Death Valley for their biennial trip to God’s Country. Regardless of any other SEC team they channel, on that night, the result will be a familiar one…another “L” for them and the 7th straight win for the good guys in the series.
Well, there you have it, our take on the 2020 schedule. Let us know what you think. Regardless, it should be fun.
