GHSA Moves Football Playoffs to Adjust for Georgia-Georgia Tech Friday Matchup

Christian Goeckel | May 31, 2024

Prince Avenue team captions get ready to take the field for the coin flip before the start of the GHSA high school football Class A-Division 1 championship game against Swainsboro at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, on Monday, Dec. 11, 2023. / Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK

Georgia and Georgia Tech will play on Black Friday this fall, which is a day that's typically reserved for high school football in Georgia. The GHSA has made an adjustment.

In a move that makes sense for everyone involved, the Georgia High School Association has decided to move the semifinals of the football playoffs back a week to avoid a conflict with Georgia and Georgia Tech's Friday night game on November 29th, per a report from Todd Holcomb of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The game's move to Friday, which is Georgia's first such home game since 1994, was announced on Thursday. Georgia and Georgia Tech will join Ole Miss and Mississippi State in primetime matchups on Black Friday. The Egg Bowl will be played at 3:30 Eastern followed by Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate at 7:30.

The news from the GHSA is big for a number of reasons. The most important is it allows high schools the spotlight they deserve. Georgia is one of the biggest high school football states in the nation and making it to the semifinals is a huge accomplishment. This allows fans to watch the Georgia-Georgia Tech game without missing any high school action. It also allows the Georgia and Georgia Tech's staff to attend those games which is massive for recruiting purposes. Kirby Smart most likely wasn't too thrilled about the prospect of missing those semifinal games and chances to recruit.

The move also pushes the state championship games back a week to December 16th-18th at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. This avoids a conflict with the SEC Championship on December 7th.

All-in-all, the new bye week in the GHSA Football Playoffs is a big win for football fans all over Georgia. It's certainly a longer season for those who make the final four, but I doubt any coaches or players will be complaining about a week off.

Other Georgia News:

• Will Georgia Have a 1,000-yard Rusher in 2024?
• Georgia has Become an NFL Offensive Linemen Factory
• Georgia Football Dominating Last Five Years of NFL Draft

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