Ohio State, Georgia cancel 2020-21 Home-and-home Football Series

By Kevin Kelley - May 31, 2012

Ohio State and Georgia have canceled their 2020-21 home-and-home football series, FBSchedules.com has learned through documents obtained from UGA.

The Buckeyes and Bulldogs signed a memorandum of understanding to play the two game series back in December 2010. But the two schools were unable to come up with dates for the games which has resulted in their cancellation.

On May 17, Eugene D. Smith, Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics of Ohio State, wrote the following to Greg McGarity, Director of Athletics at Georgia:

This letter is to confirm our recent conversation that the varsity men’s football team representing The Ohio State University is unable to assign a date for our proposed football games for the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Thus, according to the terms of the letter agreement signed on December 15, 2010, the letter agreement is canceled and both “institutions are free to arrange games with other teams in 2020 and 2021 with no obligation to the other institution.”

Thanks again for attempting to schedule the games and hopefully we can re-engage the conversation in the future.

McGarity followed with a letter of his own to Ohio State on May 18:

Thank you for your letter regarding the varsity men’s football game between the University of Georgia and The Ohio State University. To confirm and pursuant to the letter of agreement signed on December 15, 2010, we understand and agree that the games scheduled in the 2020 and 2021 seasons will be canceled.

I hope that we are able to revisit a potential series between our institutions in the future. Good luck with the upcoming season and thank you for your help with this matter.

A possible reason for the cancellation could be the long-term scheduling agreement between the Big Ten and the Pac-12, which is set to begin in 2017 or sooner. Without knowing who their Pac-12 opponents will be in the future, Ohio State likely didn’t want to firm up the contract with Georgia.

Ohio State and Georgia have met only one time on the football field. The Bulldogs beat the Buckeyes 21-14 in the 1993 Citrus Bowl in Orlando.

Update: UGA Athletics Director Greg McGarity told Macon.com that Ohio State canceled the series “due to the Big Ten-Pac 12 game that was added recently.” He also told OnlineAthens.com that “The bottom line, they said they couldn’t play.”

Football Schedules:

• Georgia Future Football Schedules
• Ohio State Future Football Schedules