Georgia fared pretty well in illogical world of bowl pairings
“The first man gets the oyster, the second man gets the shell.” — Andrew Carnegie
“Nobody remembers who came in second.” — Charles Schulz
The SEC no longer allows the loser of its championship game to plummet to a third-tier bowl and Mark Richt’s Dawgs weren’t exactly forgotten as the team that finished No. 2 in the conference this season.
But it’s one of those typical quirks of the crazy world of college football that the SEC runner-up Dawgs and the No. 6 team in the BCS, Arkansas, both were passed over by the Capitol One Bowl in favor of South Carolina, which finished behind Georgia in the SEC East. Of course, the Gamecocks are ranked higher in the polls than Georgia and their fans are known for buying up all the bowl tickets they can get their hands on.
Another oddity: While getting pasted in the second half of the SEC championship apparently knocked Georgia down a notch in the bowl pairings, the ACC runner-up, Virginia Tech, managed to crack the BCS (also on the basis of its well-traveling fan base) despite suffering a similar loss in its championship game.
And, of course, Alabama, which didn’t even make its conference championship game, gets to play for the BCS national title. Basically, the only way making the SEC championship game helps you is if you win it.
One other bowl note: Georgia ended up with a much more prestigious postseason game than Boise State, the team that got the Dawgs’ season off to such a poor start. The Broncos, who only had one regular season loss, will be in the pre-Christmas Las Vegas Bowl.
I actually was hoping Georgia would end up returning to Dallas, where it’s still 10 to 9, but after getting blown out in the second half Saturday Tampa seemed the inevitable destination. The Cotton always prefers an SEC West team for ticket sales and probably would have gone with Georgia only if the SEC game with LSU had been a nail-biter. Which is fine; the Cotton and Outback are on equal footing and both are traditional New Year’s Day bowls (post-New Year’s this year). Plus, with Arkansas and Kansas State, the Cotton gets to match two Top 10 teams, which makes sense.
Also, in Michigan State, Georgia gets a higher ranked opponent than South Carolina, who will play Nebraska, which ranks a couple of spots behind Georgia in the coaches’ poll. And it seems fitting to match the runners-up in the SEC and Big 10 in a bowl game.
While the Spartans are higher ranked in the human polls, Georgia finished just ahead of Michigan State in the final BCS rankings at No. 16. It’s interesting that the human polls, where emotion and perception rule, all had the Dawgs falling to No. 18 (where even their own coach ranked them in the coaches’ poll) while they finished higher in the BCS thanks to the computer rankings, whose detached crunching of the numbers placed Georgia at No. 12.
Georgia and Michigan State look to be a pretty good match, with both having highly ranked defenses and occasionally prolific offenses.
The weekend might not have ended with sugar falling out of the sky like we dreamed, but this year’s bowl picture is certainly a lot brighter for Georgia than the past couple. I’m pleased. How about you?
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740 comments Add your comment
ARdawg
December 5th, 2011
1:33 pm
I would agree that offensively, we are inept both plan and execution. I don’t see that changing much
PressCoverGuy
December 5th, 2011
1:33 pm
Murray’s 72 pass effic rating was his worst game of the year, when the team needed him most.
CHOKE!
Big Rooster
December 5th, 2011
1:34 pm
It is logical Mr. Billy M.L. King. There is a small matter of U.S.C. giving the Dawgs a tail whoopin’ during the 2nd regular season game. How soon you forget Billy! Georgia is bowl bound so just be satisfied to be going after that 1st game drubbin’ to Boise WHO.
PressCoverGuy
December 5th, 2011
1:35 pm
Nonoe fo the receivers seemed like they thought the ball was coming their way, which tells me, Murray was likely going off the called play, to throw to his 3rd or 4th option, and when you only get 1 or 2 passes a game, you start to take plays off and lose your alertness.
Murray should have thrown to the primary receiver, or thrown it away.
Jorge' O'leary
December 5th, 2011
1:35 pm
And this just in, LSU scored again! Bwaaahaaaahaaa
PressCoverGuy
December 5th, 2011
1:36 pm
Did you guys think Murray played worst against LSU, with his 3 turnover meltdown,
or last year’s 3 turnover meltdown against UCF in the Bowl game?
WDE
December 5th, 2011
1:36 pm
@DawginLex I’m not thinking that happens given the overall improvement from last years record, I think we actually scored more points last year if not mistaken. Also anyone who can have a defense like LSU’s falling all over themselves for a quarter like Bobo did in the first half can get better. I think we ran out of players rather than ideas and if we had executed the plays called better who knows…we certainly need RB’s and OL help and a special team coach would help also. I was on the fence about demoting Bobo for a while but if our defense had been nearly as good last year as they were this year no way we go 6-7 and I don’t think we are having this discussion. Anyway you slice it..its been a great improvement this year overall.
Scraping Teeth!
December 5th, 2011
1:36 pm
GIVE ME A BREAK. BAMA ONLY PLAYED THE BEST TEAM IN THE COUNTRY, OTHERWISE THEY PLAYED A VERY VERY WEAK SCHEDULE. NOT LISTENING TO THE ARKANSAS LOVERS. THEY ARE WEAKER THAN UGA RIGHT NOW.
JD
December 5th, 2011
1:36 pm
Most teams don’t hold on to their ranking by the end of the season becasue they lose games. The teams that win games aka good teams finished the season ranked. The crazy thing about rankings is they start in week 1 when nobody knows anything about any teams. By the end of the season there is a pretty good idea about who is good and who was pretending.
PressCoverGuy
December 5th, 2011
1:37 pm
If we make a change at QB, we have a chance.
Murray does not trust his defense to win games.
We should have kicked punts out of bounds, and played turnover free ball, and we would have won that game.
Murray blows it, in a big game, again, borken record.
Community Organizer
December 5th, 2011
1:38 pm
Please continue to focus on mere distractions like football so that I can get re-elected.
PressCoverGuy
December 5th, 2011
1:39 pm
I don’t see any improvement in this team.
in 2010, went winless against teams that ended up in top 25.
2011, winless against teams that ended up in top 25.
Can’t beat big guys since Murray’s taken over.
Scraping Teeth!
December 5th, 2011
1:39 pm
I hope that LSU crushes the bama team that sat on the couch sat. and has cheated for years in recruiting.
ARdawg
December 5th, 2011
1:39 pm
Murray was the most prolific QB in the SEC this year.
Coach Richt
December 5th, 2011
1:39 pm
Even though 3 players failed their drug tests and I got the results immediately, I waited 4 days to suspend the players so we could beat a 6 loss Florida team and excite the fans for a change.
WDE
December 5th, 2011
1:40 pm
@PressCoverGuy got a great idea actually watch the tape on the game and recalculate that rating after removing the drops..Murray just tosses it he can’t catch it. In spite of the drops and blown assignments he still had the no.2 defense in the nation’s head spinning for the first half…bottom line you keep your QB and we will keep Murray.
PressCoverGuy
December 5th, 2011
1:40 pm
Most fans realize how Murray play sin Bowl games, we all remember Murray had his worst game of the year in 2010 in the Bowl game.
Choke.
ZinoDawg
December 5th, 2011
1:41 pm
Hey! ZinoDawg lives in the Tampa area! Party at my house! We can have GTBob down and drown him in my pool!
PressCoverGuy
December 5th, 2011
1:41 pm
Murray can’t throw a catchable pass, or hit the primary receiver.
Stop living in denial.
Come on Man
December 5th, 2011
1:42 pm
The officials did a poor job that night. They missed a ton of very key calls and then the replay guy must have went for Coke and a hotdog. LSU probably wins anyways but it could have been closer. What team ranked #1 in the nation has 30 yards passing for the game? LSU relied on good defense (nothing wrong with that) and Georgia mistakes.
PressCoverGuy
December 5th, 2011
1:42 pm
Was the worst executed offensive game plan I’ve ever seen.
TAHNKS AARON “Little game” Murray.
Joey
December 5th, 2011
1:43 pm
Even if McGarity did something like demote Bobo and bring in a new OC, it would still be Richt’s offense, and his decisions to “turn it over to the D” like he did vs KY and LSU.
I thought the play-calling was bad from the 2nd quarter on vs LSU, but Murray didn’t help with his turnovers – boy he does a bad job of protecting the ball in big games, huh?
Blackberry Cobbler
December 5th, 2011
1:43 pm
Fix the damn running game. Even with Crowell, UGA doesn’t possess and SEC type running attack.
PeterMoylan
December 5th, 2011
1:43 pm
LOL at trolling Aaron Murray. He single-handedly scored more touchdowns than Alabama did against LSU. Add Trent Richardson to the backfield and Aaron Murray throws for 300 against LSU.
Sam
December 5th, 2011
1:43 pm
Venom..lol
Lex @1:26, I agree with what you said except the last Venom remark. I’ve been a UGA fan for 30 years and I respect Richt and his staff but I hate the rednecks so called UGA fans on most blogs.( most have no respect of anyone) Maybe there will be some change to staff, I hope. Get some players with high moral character would also help.
PressCoverGuy
December 5th, 2011
1:44 pm
Murray still has never won a game against a team that ended up in the top 25.
In 2 years.
Choke.
beanster
December 5th, 2011
1:44 pm
Aaron Murray is one of the few things I am positive about going into the bowl game, guy. The denial is yours.
Scraping Teeth!
December 5th, 2011
1:44 pm
presscover: I bet you do not have ONE friend in the lonely world of yours! PUKE smell around you little snail.
williamdotell
December 5th, 2011
1:44 pm
Maybe UGA needs eight (8) 5th year seniors. Oh thats right UGA players made it to the NFL in two years.
UGA Alumnus
December 5th, 2011
1:44 pm
@StealthDawg
December 5th, 2011
11:24 am
You don’t flunk out of school after one semester. I can’t imagine his grades would be low enough with general studies to even warrant this, but if he did poorly in his classes he would be put on academic probation, just like any other student would be after a really poor semester. I could be wrong, but i think it’s literally impossible to flunk out after one semester.
Dr. Morpheus
December 5th, 2011
1:44 pm
I’m with you ARDawg. I wonder what would happen if actual DGDs treated trolls as if they were invisible? But it’s too hard for a lot of people who care about Georgia not to bark and bite at them. After all, we’re Dawgs…
PressCoverGuy
December 5th, 2011
1:45 pm
One thing about Aaron “Choke in big games” Murray is..
HE’S VERY CONSISTENT.
He loses every time.
AltamahaDawg
December 5th, 2011
1:45 pm
Yes, I realize it is your opinion. Of cource. But the opinion you answered me with was to some other question.
Let me rephrase. Is it your opinion that demanding who gets demoted or promoted on the HC’s staff is Mcgarity’s style, (or any way to run an athletic department)? My guess is that he would trust Richt to determine that, offer whatever assistance he can. Just basing that on what little bit I have seen of him.
Honky Talkin
December 5th, 2011
1:45 pm
@Scraping Teeth: Is that why Arkansas is BCS #6?
Big Rooster
December 5th, 2011
1:45 pm
Yeah, he keeps hitting guys (Mitchell) in the chest. The ball bounces off your chest….everybody knows that!
PressCoverGuy
December 5th, 2011
1:46 pm
Pollyanna posts need to be ignored, they don’t want the team to get better, they think 3 turnovers by Murray was superb. They don’t know good from bad.
Scraping Teeth!
December 5th, 2011
1:46 pm
ALERT: 90% of the UGA post are trolls and not UGA alum or fans!
PressCoverGuy
December 5th, 2011
1:48 pm
Kid out in the middle of the road car approachinbg at high speed…
some of you here would prefer to just smile and say nothing.
funny...
December 5th, 2011
1:48 pm
wait, a Georgia Tech fan is comparing their loss to LSU to Georgia’s.
LOLOLOL
10 of 11 you idiots.
Dawg Food
December 5th, 2011
1:48 pm
Poor press cover guy. Get a life
DawginLex
December 5th, 2011
1:48 pm
presscoverguy
Your wife just called
Said she wants some big boy action and is tired of “little game presscoverguy”
PressCoverGuy
December 5th, 2011
1:48 pm
Ignore posters hwo call “bad’ play, “good”.
PressCoverGuy
December 5th, 2011
1:50 pm
Thought the defense played a great first half.
The team as a whole really bought in, until Murray started trying to be “Superman” again, and then with his 3 turnovers in the 3rd quarter, combined with the 2 punt returns, it was over.
Murray did it again.
DawgInaTruck
December 5th, 2011
1:51 pm
Hey PressCoverGuy, do you know what a pen is?
PressCoverGuy
December 5th, 2011
1:51 pm
Some fo you think a 72 passer rating is outstanding.
It’s not.
It’s pathetic.
Pago Pago Dawg
December 5th, 2011
1:52 pm
The Sparty coaches know UGA has No running game…they’ll replay the second half of the LSU game.
PressCoverGuy
December 5th, 2011
1:52 pm
Hmmm,
wonder why SO MANY guys dropped passes from Murray?
I guess it’s the receivers fault, they’re all bad, right?
Buzzy Bee
December 5th, 2011
1:53 pm
I still hate GA.
ClassicCity
December 5th, 2011
1:53 pm
Isaiah Crowell needs to stay at UGA. He needs to get healthy, focus on maturing both as an athlete and as a person. If he gets his head screwed on straight, we’ll have a heck of a player on our hands. We put a lot of weight on his 18 yr old shoulders. Let’s give him a chance, not write him off. He’s made some boneheaded mistakes, but we don’t have the full story on the attitude, the injuries, etc. We need Crowell to perform, Ken Malcome shows promise, and Richard Samuel is solid. A good crew…
And let’s all be praying that UGA lands Keith Marshall and Todd Gurley!! Talent galore and heads screwed on straight. Marshall announces tomorrow.
We’re putting the right pieces together. I had modest hopes for this year (and they were exceeded), I have high hopes for next.
Looking forward to the Outback Bowl!
Honky Talkin
December 5th, 2011
1:54 pm
Georgia is 2-3 against teams with a winning record. How are they still in the top 25?