Here we are, just halfway through July, and the Georgia High School Association has released some important information about the 2018 football season.

For instance, the dates and location of all eight championship games are set. Mark them down. Dec. 7-8, 2018, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

That was the plan last year, anyway, a Friday and Saturday in early December. Three or four times, though, from late that Friday to first thing that Saturday, you had to check and see how the wintry weather was affecting in metro Atlanta and even north Georgia. It was something nobody could see coming in July.

Wouldn’t it be funny if, for whatever reason, state championship football games in Georgia were pushed forward on the calendar again? Not only that, but for reasons we can’t see on the horizon?

Guess what? There are indeed good possibilities that Mercedes-Benz Stadium will not be available for use by high school teams on Dec. 7-8. And weather will have nothing to do with it. Our friends at the GHSA already know what could be happening in Atlanta that weekend.

The GHSA Board of Trustees had a meeting on July 10. The minutes state that executive director Robin Hines talked about this very matter.

See, not only is Mercedes-Benz the regular site for Atlanta Falcons home games in the NFL, but also for Atlanta United FC home games in Major League Soccer. These games are drawing more than 70,000 people. There’s going to be one Saturday against D.C. United. The new stadium is also hosting the All-Star Game on Aug. 1 (actually, the MLS All-Stars vs. Juventus).

What Hines told the committee last week is that the GHSA reserved Dec. 11-12 at Mercedes-Benz as back-up dates for the state football championships. That’s because Atlanta United might be hosting MLS playoffs on the weekend before. To be specific, the MLS Cup is decided on Dec. 8, a one-match winner take all scenario.

Atlanta United’s chances are pretty decent to make it that far. Not only does the club draw a crowd, but it wins. It is tied with New York City for the most victories, each with 12, and both of them are in the Eastern Conference.

Another thing the GHSA released this week is a complete listing of football schedules for all teams Class 7A to Class A. So get your scissors out, for I am about to for the first time place the full 2018 schedule in The Moultrie Observer, complete with kickoff times (subject to change).

Aug. 18, vs. McEachern, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, 2:45 p.m.

Aug. 25, vs. Trinity Catholic at home, 8 p.m.

Aug. 31, vs. Thomasville at home, 8 p.m.

Sept. 7, vs. Valdosta at home, 8 p.m.

Sept. 14, at Warner Robins, 8 p.m.

Sept. 21, at Grayson, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 28, vs. Alcovy at home, 8 p.m.

Oct. 12, vs. Camden County at home, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 19, at Tift County, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 26, vs. Lowndes, 7:30 p.m.

There you have it. This should also appear in our preseason publication slated for release days before the season opener. This of course does not include the Aug. 10 home scrimmage vs. Miller Grove.

Something that’s often done in the pages of The Observer is to look at what these opponents do when not playing the Packers. Here are some of the notable games of Colquitt County foes, focusing on the three in Region 1-7A.

Camden County will be playing at Mercer University on Aug. 24 against Wren High School out of Piedmont, S.C. Camden in fact has two Palmetto State schools on its schedule, the other being Colleton Prep Academy at home on Oct. 5. The Wildcats open in Kingsland against a West Forsyth team that went 7-4 in Class 7A last season.

What really stands out is that the big city showdown between Lowndes and Valdosta is not the season opener for both. This year’s game will be at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium on Sept. 21. Sandwiched in between, the Vikings host Lincoln of Tallahassee, Fla., and Ware County.

Both Lowndes and Tift County are playing what could be a darkhorse team in Class 7A, Parkview High. Lowndes will go to the Big Orange Jungle Aug. 31, and Parkview visits Tifton on Sept. 14.

As for the Blue Devils, they are not going to Statesboro to start the campaign. Instead, Tift will go to a place the Packers plan to visit, McConnell-Talbert Stadium, to play the Warner Robins Demons on Aug. 17. Get this also, Miller Grove agreed to go to Tifton for a regular game Oct. 5.

Here’s hoping the GHSA has a quiet 2018-19 so that the concentration can be on what to do about reclassifying two years from now. Hines, as has been reported in here, asked the GHSA committee to consider going back to six classes and making it a two-year cycle. It has also been stated by me that a prediction is it will remain seven.

In June, Hines told a gathering of sports writers near Atlanta he wants six. He said now there’s a lot of excessive travel for teams, and who knows that more than Colquitt County after last year’s football playoffs. Hines also brought up that this would result in better competition and no more four-team regions.

Here’s a suggestion. When they get the enrollment numbers, list all the member schools from largest to smallest. Use the percentages to create separate lists, one for seven classes and another for six. Send both to all the members. The one that comes back with the fewest injunction threats, go with it.