University bracing for "an event"

Although most of the attention on Saturday is focused on what will be going on inside Sanford Stadium when No. 3 Georgia hosts No. 7 Notre Dame, what's expected to be happening outside could also create quite the stir.

It’s going to be crazy.

“I’d say just as many people will be outside the stadium as inside," Bulldog athletic director Greg McGarity told UGASports.

Of course, more people means more traffic.

“I think there's a higher level of anticipation through all the exteriors as far as traffic,” McGarity said. “Aside from that, nothing is really changing. It’s just an awareness that we’re trying to encourage people to get to the stadium early, that traffic is going to be tight, and all of those things. But inside the gates, it’s going to be business as usual, because that’s the amount of people we accommodate on a weekly basis, really.”

Yes, Saturday is going to be a big deal. But how big is big?

That very question was posed to Loran Smith, longtime UGA employee and school historian.

“We might have had bigger games where the two teams were ranked—Clemson in 1982 would certainly be one,” said Smith, referring to the contest that pitted the game’s most recent two national champions against one another.

There were others.

“In 1971 we played Auburn. Andy Johnson was a sophomore, and both those teams might have been undefeated when they played,” Smith said. “In 1942, the Tech game with the winner going to the Rose Bowl—that had to be big, and there have been some other big games.”

However, when it comes to the biggest intersectional contests, Smith doesn’t believe it’s close. The only game he compares it to was the 1929 game against Yale—the first game played in newly completed Sanford Stadium.

Coached by the legendary Harry Mehre, Georgia beat Yale that afternoon, 15-0.

“When you’re talking about the magnitude of a game, I’m not sure any compare,” said Smith. “You can’t get a room, you can’t get a ticket, you can’t get a dinner reservation; that doesn’t happen very often. The big thing is, it’s coming early like the Yale game did in 1929, so it’s a game you can point to.”

Media attending the game could reach record proportions.

ESPN’s College Game Day will be here, while hundreds of others have requested credentials. Space, as you might imagine, will be at a premium, which will necessitate auxiliary seating established to handle the crush.

“When we discussed this back in 2013, we knew it would be a great series, but I don’t think anyone dreamed that it would be at the level of excitement and anticipation that these two games have brought to our program,” McGarity said. “Coach (Notre Dame coach Brian) Kelly talked about it like being on Broadway, but for us, it’s different; it’s the only time that Notre Dame is going to be between the hedges in our lifetime, probably.”

Even long-time friends and acquaintances are being left out in the cold.

“I’ve gotten requests from people who want to park their RV; I don’t know what to tell them,” said Smith. “If you live within two miles of Sanford Stadium, and you don’t walk to the game Saturday, if the game is close—even if it’s not, you’re going to be 2 a.m. getting home, because that’s going to be the biggest traffic jam in history.”

Ditto for McGarity.

“Last week, I had a few calls from business friends, university friends,” he said. “I said this game has been scheduled for two years, so 10-14 days before the game, the well is dry.”

Head coach Kirby Smart doesn’t typically get caught up in the hoopla surrounding an opponent, but acknowledges Saturday night’s game is different than most.

“There's been a lot of them, since I've been here as a coach. When I was an assistant here as a coach and as a player—I mean, there's been a lot of big games, and I think that's what is great for the kids,” Smart said. “You don't have a ton of Top 10 matchups maybe the caliber of this one, but there's a lot of Top 25 matches we've played in this stadium. So, a great opportunity for our program to be on the national stage. It's a great opportunity.”

McGarity has no doubt about that.

“It’s going to be unique,” he said. “…outside the stadium and just the whole environment—I think everyone is just anticipating it being a very special day in Athens.”