The American Football Coaches Association and the NCAA encouraged teams to shake hands on the field before Saturday's season-opening games to promote sportsmanship, but Georgia and Oklahoma State won't take part.

Oklahoma State has decided against the pregame handshakes, associate athletic director Kevin Klintworth said Wednesday evening. The handshakes are not mandatory.

"We'll do whatever they decide," Georgia coach Mark Richt said.

Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy expressed reservations about the idea earlier this week.

"Our first concern was you have 110 or 115 out there that could potentially be in uniform and they're going to bring approximately 70," Gundy said. "It just takes one guy to pop off and then I don't know that we could get it broke up before the game. That's one thing that concerns us. I have a lot of respect for coach Richt and their team and I'm sure he probably does for us, but how do you control something like that?"

Richt said player ejections that would result from a fight "would keep things cool."

The handshakes are only planned for the first weekend of games.

Richt supported the initiative.

"When we got the survey, we said we'd be happy to do it," Richt said. "If you started trying to do it every single game, things could get heated in certain rival games, yeah."

Some Georgia players seem fine with passing up the pregame handshakes.

"I understand what it's for, but me personally, I wouldn't mind. But it's not something that I would just love to do," Georgia quarterback Joe Cox said. "I don't think it's necessary. I think you prepare all week to play an opponent. It's a game. You play and then you show sportsmanship at the end of the game."

Cox saw the possibility of a pregame incident.

"I think it could definitely happen, especially between teams that have bad blood," Cox said. "Somebody could say something smart. You have that many guys going to midfield to shake hands, somebody's going to say something they shouldn't say, probably. I think it could get out of hand."

Said defensive end Marcus Washington: "It doesn't really matter to me. I'm just trying to go out there and play some football. Shake hands, don't shake hands, I just want to play ball."