Just when I thought this would never end....

[walksalone]

 

Throughout the offseason, Georgia coach Mark Richt was asked by fans what the Bulldogs' "b*******" game would be in 2008.

Georgia fans have their answer. It will occur when Alabama pays a visit to Sanford Stadium.

 

This will mark only the third time in school history - and second regular-season game - that the Bulldogs have donned the black jerseys.

 

"We're asking our fans to b******* the stadium again and our players will be wearing black jerseys," Richt said during Sunday's teleconference.

 

Richt was initially opposed to having a b******* in September because of the high temperatures, but the 7:45 p.m. kickoff made the option a little bit more appealing.

 

"Because it's this time of year, I don't want to be out there in the heat. I told our seniors that I didn't want to do it in September, I just thought it might be too hot," Richt said. "You don't want to wear black jerseys in the middle of a hot day."

 

Richt is hoping for a result similar to last year's b******* game in Athens against Auburn, when an energized Georgia team easily handled the Tigers. Georgia also wore black jerseys in the Sugar Bowl against Hawaii.

 

"I don't think you do it too much," Richt said. "Our fans really enjoyed it, our players certainly enjoyed it. Our seniors, they certainly want to have an ownership of that type of thing."

 

Now, a matchup between two top-10 teams will approach with even more excitement.

 

"Every Bulldog Club I went to, it seemed like they were asking which one it was going to be. Fans were writing letters trying to say which one it should be," Richt said. "There's a lot of interest in it. You wouldn't think it was a big deal, but it really is."

[HuskerJosh]

You cannot escape the b******* (I don't want it either, though).

[Ohio Pete]

You cannot escape the b******* (I don't want it either, though).

Everyone's doing it. You know you want to.

 

In college stadiums, the 'Outs' are definitely in

Georgia is planning a "Black Out" for its game with Alabama this weekend. Michigan State had a "White Out" for Notre Dame last Saturday. Vanderbilt hosted a "Black Out"for its nationally televised game against South Carolina two weeks ago. Penn State hosts "White Outs" at Beaver Stadium regularly.

 

You catching this latest trend at stadiums across the nation? The home school tells all its fans attending the game to wear the same color shirt, then deems it a "Color" Out. The team usually follows suit, wearing, for example, black shirts and black pants for a "Black Out".

 

It may have been cool at one point. One of the first ones I can remember was in 2001, when South Carolina was hosting No. 4 Florida. Lou Holtz had his Gamecocks in the running for an SEC East crown in early November, and Williams-Brice Stadium was a sea of black while the players busted out black shirts. Of course, Florida won 54-17, so the story didn't really have a happy ending, but the build-up to the whole thing was pretty cool.

 

In 1996, I covered a game at LSU where Tiger Stadium hosted a "White Out". Gerry DiNardo restarted LSU's tradition of wearing white at home that season, but it needed to be approved by visiting teams. (That rule has since been changed.) Vanderbilt, spurned by DiNardo less than a year before, denied the request, prompting LSU to have all the fans wear white if the players couldn't. LSU broke out yellow jerseys in front of a sea of white and buried the Dores 35-0. The night atmosphere at Tiger Stadium is already one of the best around, and the white added to the occasion.

 

But when do these gimmicks become too much? Georgia's decision to wear its black jerseys this week will be the third time the Dawgs have forgone their traditional red in their last six home/bowl games. Georgia wore black against Auburn late last season, against Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl and now in its third home game this season. What in the name of Herschel Walker and Vince Dooley is going on?

 

What do you folks think about all these "Outs"? Do they create a cool atmosphere or are they hokey gimmicks?

[np_husker]

NU is the home of the "out". We were doing red outs long before it was the thing to do.