Isn’t UGA better than the Capital One Bowl? Why, sure it is
For the Bulldogs, getting over the Alabama game won't be easy. (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
Athens – Depending on the index, Georgia is ranked No. 5 (USA Today coaches’ poll), No. 6 (Associated Press) or No. 7 (BCS) in the land. Counting the national championship game, the BCS fits 10 teams into five postseason games. Georgia, alas, is not among them.
The Bulldogs are bound for the Capital One Bowl, which is essentially the consolation game for losers of conference championships. (Georgia’s opponent is Nebraska, which lost to Wisconsin 70-31 in the Big Ten title tilt.) With three losses, the Cornhuskers probably belong in the Capital One. Georgia does not.
At worst, Georgia is the nation’s third-best team. It went 11-1 in the regular season and won the SEC Eastern Division, which this time around was no junior circuit. (Florida is ranked No. 3 in the BCS standings, South Carolina No. 10). But the Bulldogs were penalized for falling five yards short in one of the greatest games ever played, dropping from No. 3 to No. 7 and sliding below Florida.
Lest we forget, Georgia beat Florida 17-9 on Oct. 27. But the Gators finished with one loss to the Bulldogs’ two, and by virtue of being ranked in the top four Florida was guaranteed a BCS spot. For the second year running, we see the advantage of NOT playing for the SEC championship: In 2011 Alabama played for the BCS title without risking a loss in the Georgia Dome on the first Saturday in December, and now Florida gets to play in a BCS game ahead of the SEC loser.
This isn’t to say Florida is undeserving: At worst, the Gators are the nation’s fourth-best team. This is to say that the system – stop if you’ve heard this one – stinks. Northern Illinois (No. 16 in the BCS standings) and Louisville (No. 21) will grace BCS games, but Georgia will not. The Bulldogs are the highest-ranked team to be excluded from the Big Five postseason games.
And this sits with the Bulldogs … well, about the way you’d think. “Maybe a little bit robbed,” was quarterback Aaron Murray’s assessment. “We definitely feel like we’re a BCS-caliber team. I think we proved that all season long. I think we proved that in the SEC Championship Game — that we belong with the best.”
Tight end Arthur Lynch, speaking of the epic loss to Alabama: “We’ve proved ourselves worthy to be in that situation. Some people have said it was a de facto national championship game. In my opinion, those were the two best teams in the country.”
Then this: “I’m not unhappy with the Capital One, but the national championship was the only game I wanted to go to. If we were in New Orleans (for the BCS-level Sugar Bowl), that wouldn’t be where I wanted to be.”
Wide receiver Tavarres King, measuring his words: “I don’t really think anything. The system is OK. I really can’t say much more.”
But he did. He said this: “I’d love to see an eight-game playoff. If you go head-to-head with teams in this conference, you might slip up. We certainly deserve a BCS bid.”
The argument can be made that, if you’re not playing for the BCS title, it doesn’t matter where you land. Monetarily that’s not true, and psychically it isn’t, either. The BCS system – which will yield to a four-team playoff come to 2014 – has created a three-tier system: Tier 1 is the championship game; Tier 2 consists of the other four BCS bowls; Tier 3 is everything else.
The BCS allows a conference only two spots in its Big Five. (Unless two teams from the same league are matched in the BCS title game and neither is the conference champion, which could never happen.) But when the bigger leagues grow by the minute and the Big East descends to Sun Belt level, is such a provision fair? Would the New Year be lessened if the Sugar Bowl, say, featured a rematch of Georgia-Florida?
Said Mark Richt, Georgia’s coach: “Is Florida deserving of the (BCS) opportunity? I think they are. I think we are, too.”
For the record, Richt and many Bulldogs lauded the Capital One. “Everyone is exited to go to Disney World,” Murray said. “Everyone wants to use their (bowl-provided) Best Buy gift cards.”
But danger awaits in Orlando. Georgia is clearly the superior team – Nebraska is ranked No. 23 by AP – but Georgia mightn’t have the greater motivation. Asked if he feared his team might believe it’s too good for the Capital One, Richt said: “I don’t think anybody is thinking that. The Capital One is a great bowl. Nebraska is a great program.”
Those are nice words from a famously nice man, but the reality is rather different. Thirty days after losing a national semifinal by four points and five yards, Georgia will face a much lesser opponent in a more austere setting. Spend those Best Buy gift bucks wisely, guys.
By Mark Bradley
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
614 comments Add your comment
GTBob
December 13th, 2012
12:57 pm
There is a reason they play the game rather than just sit around and talk about who is or should be the better team. Don’t you think?
Once again, answer this. When LSU beat Bama last year did that mean LSU was a better team than Bama was? I am surprised that anyone would argue that the better of two teams might not play well and end up losing. It seems like a pretty easy concept.
Mr. Hankey
December 13th, 2012
1:00 pm
Love ya Cartman and the flavorm of tears, sweet delicious sadness trickling down those gator faces after the dogs dogged them again. Lovely, beautifl, sad tears. MMMMMMMM…..good. Let us rally to the literate, articulate Senator from the Citrus State of Florida: Go Gayda! We gos de bess coarch and Percy Harvey! Go Gayda! You is the besses championship in da lan. What a stalwart presence of the spoken English language with a Swaheli accent.
ARdawg
December 13th, 2012
1:00 pm
GTBobby
LSU was the better team after the regular season game and were up until Bama beat them in the NC game. Why is that so difficult for you to comprehend?
ARdawg
December 13th, 2012
1:02 pm
GTBoB
Why was USC ranked #1 at the beginning of the season and now not even in the top 25? Because airheads like you talked them into being number #1 because of what they could be or should be without having to prove anything on the field of play
GTBob
December 13th, 2012
1:04 pm
LSU was the better team after the regular season game and were up until Bama beat them in the NC game. Why is that so difficult for you to comprehend?
Ah, they were better until they weren’t better. That is some nice dancing. One of those two teams was better than the other. Who was it? If UGA loses to Nebraska by 1 point after turning the ball over 10 times and missing 5 field goals will you say that Nebraska is a superior football team?
DawgNole
December 13th, 2012
1:06 pm
Pitbull, liked your 11:53 a.m. analysis of the BCS and bowls. The BCS has long since worn out its welcome. Hopefully its years are numbered.
kingdaddy
December 13th, 2012
1:07 pm
Coward
no wonder you’re so butthurt, everybody had LSU at #1 beginning of the year, what a joke. Who didn’t beat you this year? Guess you’re 3rd or 4th best in your own division,lol…you’re still a lying nerd, lswho my butt…
Red Stick
December 13th, 2012
1:10 pm
zeke
December 13th, 2012
12:53 pm
“Even thoug the score did not indicate it, S.C. totally dominated Florida! They also beat UGA like a wet paper bag, and, if Ace Sanders had not slipped late in the game allowing an interception by LSU, they would have beaten LSU at Baton Rouge! S.C. is and will be the “beast of the East” !!”
You are contradicting yourself. Except for the score, LSU dominated SC. You need to go back and check the game stats. I was there. BTW, we also gave you an easy touchdown with the long pick that set you up on the 2 yard line. Nevertheless the Gamecocks are a solid team and had good season.
Coward of Bulldawg County
December 13th, 2012
1:11 pm
South Carolina didn’t beat LSU…35-7 beeotch…
ARdawg
December 13th, 2012
1:12 pm
” Ah, they were better until they weren’t better. That is some nice dancing. One of those two teams was better than the other. Who was it? If UGA loses to Nebraska by 1 point after turning the ball over 10 times and missing 5 field goals will you say that Nebraska is a superior football team?”
There is no dancing Bobby. Nothing but your lack of comprehension. Are you always this slow? LSU was better until they weren’t better. What about that is it that you don’t understand? It’s proven on the field Bob, not in the dark recesses of your mind
Atl croc
December 13th, 2012
1:14 pm
Take exception to Bradley’s “at worst, Georgia is 3rd best team”. South Carolina was better on the field, had more wins against top 25 and was stuck with a schedule of playing Georgia, at LSU and at Fla in consecutive games. LSU was 2 -2 vs top 10 teams and also played Bama close. Texas A & M was 1 – 2 against top 10 teams and actually beat BAMA on the road.Oregon was # 3 in multiple polls and could argue they were better. Stanford had the one flaw of a loss to an unranked team, but the other loss was to #1 and they had 5 wins over top 25 teams vs. 1 for Georgia. There were 9 teams that had more wins against top 25 teams than Georgia. Granted they played well in the SEC championship game, but after playing only 3 games against quality opponents, they should have been healthy and well rested. Go better than 1-2 in real games and then talk about being the 3rd best team.
Dawg Tired
December 13th, 2012
1:19 pm
So obvious! If we were better than Kansas State, for example, before we played Alabama, how does losing to probably the best team in the nation in such a dramatic fashion make us worse than Kansas State? It is pretty obvious that the folks who figure these things out are not necessarily the brightest lights on the Christmas tree. Now, Northern Illinois paying in a BCS game while teams like UGA, Texas A&M, South Carolina, and LSU are not is a sure sign that the apocalypse can’t be too far away.
poise
December 13th, 2012
1:19 pm
…2weeks past, here we are again talking should’ve-could’ve we deserve better yeah right but we lost and its the mickey mouse bowl for what; the capital one visa card bowl instead of the BCS college football national championship bowl…… (((-…playmakers make plays in key moments its no 2nd guessing the it factor but in our case under pressure the word improvising…-think how you spell it- you watch the big games but the only real talk we have here for the season of the 2012 georgia football team & forever in bulldawg nation, IS WHY IN THE !@#$, we didnt spike the ball with 14 seconds inside the alabama ten yard line….-)))…..but hey i’ma cut on my tv & watch the georgia bulldawgs last game if god willing…-then watch alabama vs. norte dame for the chip, the championship-…..”since we believe in god & strong faith, then why risk a tip pass when you practice pump-fake, boom over the middle plays all year……” god would’ve- should’ve told me, this is our best scoring play & we have enuff time to try it
DawgNole
December 13th, 2012
1:22 pm
GTBob
December 13th, 2012
12:57 pm
Once again, answer this. When LSU beat Bama last year did that mean LSU was a better team than Bama was?
_____________________
A better team WHEN? On that day, LSU was the better team–just like UGA was better than fla and SC was better than UGA and A&M was better than Bama, and fla was better than A&M, and LSU was better than SC and Bama was better than LSU and blah blah blah.
poise
December 13th, 2012
1:24 pm
…think how you spell it, the improvise plays get lost
kingdaddy
December 13th, 2012
1:28 pm
Way too many crybabies worrying about what UGA does or doesn’t do. Play your stink-bowl and we’ll play the best non-BCS bowl there is. Cry us a river babies…
GTBob
December 13th, 2012
1:35 pm
LSU was better until they weren’t better.
I am glad that you admitted that because it proves my original point. One team can be better than another for one day. It doesn’t mean anything about the teams in general or how they will do in the future.
Ace
December 13th, 2012
1:38 pm
UGA would not beat LSU, so the peach bowl is what they deserve.
Ace
December 13th, 2012
1:39 pm
UGA can’t win the big one.
Red Stick
December 13th, 2012
1:48 pm
kingdaddy
December 13th, 2012
1:07 pm
“Coward
no wonder you’re so butthurt, everybody had LSU at #1 beginning of the year, what a joke. Who didn’t beat you this year? Guess you’re 3rd or 4th best in your own division,lol…you’re still a lying nerd, lswho my butt…”
Certainly wasn’t the season we anticipated but of course if you had done your homework you would realize LSU lost alot of players including 3 of the 5 projected starting lineman. BTW, we appreciate you sending Vadal Alexander our way to start at right tackle as a true freshman.
Who didn’t LSU beat? Let’s start with these teams who were ranked when we played them: Washington, SC, A&M and Miss St. Of course of those 4 you only played one and got your ars handed to you by a team we beat the next week.
Further, LSU finished tied for 2nd with A&M in the division.
If we are butthurt, what does that make the Dawgs after getting run all over for 350 rushing yards against Bama? What happened to that “great” defense we heard about all preseason? We gave up 166 rushing yards and a total of 331 yards while you gave up 512. They dominated you statistically just like we did against them. Of course the final score is what counts.
LSU had a tougher schedule and a better season than Georgia did.
Geaux Tigers
Go SEC
steelerdawg
December 13th, 2012
2:02 pm
Gordon, you can continue to make up whatever mythical criteria you want “elite 6, comparable resources 5″. whatever… Bottom line is head to head, UGA has stopped the Gator streak and started their own. You have a Dawg running your program. Expect more of the same…
Coward of Bulldawg County
December 13th, 2012
2:07 pm
Honestly, Florida probably considers LSU to be a bigger rival than Georgia…LSU is a national program…UGA is just another game on the schedule, a game that Florida has pretty much owned the last 20+ years…
John
December 13th, 2012
2:17 pm
Georgia lost because they have no run defense. Mark, to argue that a two-loss team deserves to be ranked third in the country is laughable. Between ND and Alabama, Alabama is the team that needs to be worried about whether it can effectively run the ball. With Alabama’s defense giving up 29 to A&M and 28 to UGA (ND only given up more than 17 pts in a single game), they will be lucky to outscore the Irish. Take off your crimson sunglasses and look at the facts.
kingdaddy
December 13th, 2012
2:19 pm
More whiney babies not content with their less than stellar programs.
Your idiot (coward) attacks my program, I attack his, now you want in the action, where does it stop. I didn’t start this, coward did. Try curbing your own idiots. I don’t remember going on an article about LSU, criticizing the Tigers. You know me better. Coward wants to cheapshot UGA, so welcome to the fray my friend…
GIVE ME A BREAK
December 13th, 2012
2:24 pm
I haven’t read all of the comments, but it’s probably clear that the conference championship game should not count as a loss when considering bowl games. Without this game UGA is in a BCS bowl. The logic behind the present system is stupid.
Danny Ford
December 13th, 2012
2:25 pm
Winners get invited to the better bowl games!
kingdaddy
December 13th, 2012
2:25 pm
Coward
you speaking for UF now, lol. Are all your games rivalry games, lmaoff. You are an idiot moron and a dum-bass. I’m sure the Gators don’t mind losing to us genius…
Coward of Bulldawg County
December 13th, 2012
2:28 pm
The UGA program is such a target-rich environment for criticism…loser program, loser fanbase…an incubator for the “art” of celebrating the loss…no where else in America is a loss celebrated except Georgia…where losers are born, bred, and developed…”we almost beat Bama!!”…”we won the first half against LSU!!”…pathetic…
UGA Fan
December 13th, 2012
2:35 pm
“Coward of Bulldawg County
December 13th, 2012
12:19 pm
LSU, not Georgia, should have been sent to a better bowl game…played a tougher schedule (who doesn’t!) than Georgia…3-2 vs latest BCS top 25, while the dummydawgs were an impressive 1-2…both lost twice, LSU is better…”
The SEC determines 8 of the yearly games. We’ll always play GT (#9). Therefore, the Dawgs ONLY have 3 teams that they can control who their opponent is & 1 of them was an FCS school (GSU).
Florida has the same schedule setup, played an FCS school this year (BTW, plays GSU next year).
These schedules were set up years in the past, so nobody knows who will be hot any given year. FWIW, Arkansas was #10 preseason.
Coward of Bulldawg County
December 13th, 2012
2:36 pm
Somewhere in China, there is a factory gearing up to pump out “Georgia Bulldogs, 2013 Capitol One Bowl Runner-up” t-shirts…
Flat Tire On Hwy 441 in Athens
December 13th, 2012
2:40 pm
Im sure the chinese have already shipped the we were short by 4 yrds T-shirts
Coward of Bulldawg County
December 13th, 2012
2:41 pm
Why does Georgia continue to schedule Tech? Why? You have nothing to gain by playing Tech…win and you were supposed to; lose, well you know the criticism that comes with that…LSU played Tulane for years until it became pointless…UGA should be there with Tech right now…find yourself a Big 12, PAC 12 school to play…Tech offers nothing…
Coward of Bulldawg County
December 13th, 2012
2:41 pm
good one flat…
Lisa
December 13th, 2012
2:43 pm
The horse is dead and buried. Please stop beating it.
The Facts Only......
December 13th, 2012
2:43 pm
So Georgia beat Florida, and that makes them the third best team in the country? We’re # 7, and South Carolina is # 10. This is just a case of the most FLAWED SYSTEM ever! It’s simple, no team in the TOP 10 should be left outta a Bowl BCS BOWL GAME period. I know N. Illinois is decent, but who on this blog would take them against UGA, LSU, FLA, SC, OR TEX A&M ? Most will complain about the SEC having to many good teams to compete against, to them, I say, Come OSU, PENN STATE, WISCONSIN, ALL THE ACC, BIG EAST, PAC TEN, BIG TWELVE, AND WAC. It’s simple, to be the best, you have to be the best.Six time National Champions, and here the SEC IS AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!
ARdawg
December 13th, 2012
2:44 pm
GTBobby
“I am glad that you admitted that because it proves my original point. One team can be better than another for one day. It doesn’t mean anything about the teams in general or how they will do in the future.”
Absolutely one team can be better than another for one day. Doesn’t matter when or where Boob. Once the victor has been decided on the field , that team is better team until proven on the field different later. No? Last year LSU was the better team over Bama, until they were not. UGA is the better team and has been for 5 years.
That is simple logic Bob and it is determined on the field of play. Now please dispense with this other logic BS your spouting that because this team plays this schedule and lost to such and such that they aren’t as good as the teams that they beat. That is pure horse kaka and you know it.
juice sourcer
December 13th, 2012
2:44 pm
3 of the 4 BCS match ups are a joke….only K ST and Oregon are deserving matchups.
ARdawg
December 13th, 2012
2:45 pm
UGA is the better team and has been for 5 years over Tech Booby before you attempt to split hairs there
Wet Willie...keep on smiling
December 13th, 2012
2:45 pm
@Coward…you’re on a roll today! You’re lucky DawginLex,Flo-ri-dah,and Lakedawg are out playing golf.
RIffRaff
December 13th, 2012
2:46 pm
Murray doesn’t need to worry about Bama players taking cheap shots at him….all he has to do is come on one of these blogs.
http://espn.go.com/ncf/conversations/_/id/8741551/georgia-bulldogs-aaron-murray-sleep-loss-alabama-crimson-tide
Coward of Bulldawg County
December 13th, 2012
2:48 pm
Willie, don’t forget the worlds smartest man, AltamahaDawg…
Coward of Bulldawg County
December 13th, 2012
2:52 pm
Murray shouldn’t lose any sleep over the Bama loss…that loss was gonna happen anyways…he should feel worse about all those non-BCS programs he padded his stats against…
Flat Tire On Hwy 441 in Athens
December 13th, 2012
3:08 pm
DawginLex Flo-ridum and the other kool-aid crowd are busy dusting off their photo’s of Richt and bobo in their homes
They are way too busy to ever play golf; they are either dusting off their photos or busy hanging a new one
UGA Fan
December 13th, 2012
3:08 pm
“Coward of Bulldawg County
December 13th, 2012
2:07 pm
Honestly, Florida probably considers LSU to be a bigger rival than Georgia…LSU is a national program…UGA is just another game on the schedule, a game that Florida has pretty much owned the last 20+ years…”
*sigh* We can take any brief period of time & say Team A’s better than Team B.
Oct. 15, 1904 – Nov. 6, 1982
UGA – 39 UF – 20 tie – 2
Guess that 61 game span mean UGAs’ TWICE better than UF!
Or, let’s look @ the ENTIRE history (which most people do): 49-40-2 DAWGS! & that lead is only going to increase!
Coward of Bulldawg County
December 13th, 2012
3:09 pm
Coward…out…
GTBob
December 13th, 2012
3:20 pm
UGA is the better team and has been for 5 years over Tech Booby before you attempt to split hairs there
UGA will always be the better team when they play GT. Whether they win or lose.
UGA Fan
December 13th, 2012
3:20 pm
“The Facts Only……
December 13th, 2012
2:43 pm
So Georgia beat Florida, and that makes them the third best team in the country? We’re # 7, and South Carolina is # 10. This is just a case of the most FLAWED SYSTEM ever! It’s simple, no team in the TOP 10 should be left outta a Bowl BCS BOWL GAME period. I know N. Illinois is decent, but who on this blog would take them against UGA, LSU, FLA, SC, OR TEX A&M ? Most will complain about the SEC having to many good teams to compete against, to them, I say, Come OSU, PENN STATE, WISCONSIN, ALL THE ACC, BIG EAST, PAC TEN, BIG TWELVE, AND WAC. It’s simple, to be the best, you have to be the best.Six time National Champions, and here the SEC IS AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!”
I partially agree with you on that. HOWEVER, I also feel that if you win your conference’s championship game, you should be rewarded somehow.
Mitch
December 13th, 2012
3:21 pm
Stop whinning, GA played only 3 ranked teams and lost two of them. Their schedule had 8 home games if you count the neutral sites (Ga. Dome and Jacksonville.) They even struggled to beat lowly KY. I am a GA fan and am proud of their bowl game.
Wet Willie...keep on smiling
December 13th, 2012
3:21 pm
UGA,USCe,UF,LSU,A&M,and Bama are all good teams and very close to being about he same. Coaching gets you over the hump sometime and then again a great talent (Johnny Football) can make a average coach appear great. The Old Ball Coach and his team need to be the shat out of the AD for the way their schedule is setup because having to play UGA,UF,LSU all within such short period will get you into the BlueBonnet Bowl instead of the Sugar Bowl. Steve has beat the crap out of Bama many times and we got him just a few but I like the guy. The SEC is just damn tuff at this time and will only get worse. You will never have an unbeaten SEC Champ again. Roll Tide I remember the good old weedwacker bowl days with Joe Kines telling us all “We got to stop that inside trap”. It’s good to recall the tuff years for that makes the great years what they should be.
kingdaddy
December 13th, 2012
3:22 pm
Flats
Pile on with the rest of the trolls. 90% of the whining on this blog is by the usual suspect haters that cry about everything UGA. Kinda like you. Have you picked another team to root for yet, or are you just obsessed with trashing the Dawg???