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
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614 comments Add your comment
vesaversa
December 12th, 2012
5:34 pm
Men never Cry over spill milk .Georgia and most of the nation know the DAWGS belong in a BCS game . A Florida v Georgia Sugar bowl make more sense money wise any way .
Moist Dawg
December 12th, 2012
5:37 pm
Honestly, does it reaally matter if whether we are 3 or 4? NO IT DOESN’T!! What matters is that we are not number 1 or 2 and it makes me sick to see UGA “fans” (probably trolls) whining like a bunch of little girls over our ranking.
We will be number one next year and I hope none of you sissies like ILLINI are around to enjoy it.
Roy
December 12th, 2012
5:38 pm
If Mosley doesn’t tip that ball, Georgia wins. That was going to be a touchdown. It was a back-shoulder throw and Mitchell had a beat on cornerback Dee Milliner. Mosley saved the game for Bama. UGA did the right thing in not spiking the ball and giving Bama time to regroup. Bama was on their heels and UGA knew it. Like I said, if the ball isn’t tipped, Murray is a legend.
To Tell the Truth
December 12th, 2012
5:38 pm
Bama beat GA because they gave up over 300 yards in total offense!!! That is why poor ole do nothing GA lost!!!!
LMAO!!!!
Roy
December 12th, 2012
5:40 pm
If Mosley doesn’t bat the ball down, Georgia wins. It was a touchdown. Mitchell had Dee Milliner beat.
Steve
December 12th, 2012
5:40 pm
Bradley is as ignorant as the inbred Leghumper fans. Gators are ranked higher because they played a more difficult schedule and beat four teams ranked in the top 12. How many ranked teams did the leghumpers beat! I doubt Bradley or the ignorant Dawg fans can count that high but the answer is one. You also lost to the only other two ranked teams that yoy played. Get real Bradley.
After further review
December 12th, 2012
5:42 pm
Under the current “only two BCS teams per conference” rule, it seems to me that the SEC is, in some ways, a victim of its own success. If the BCS wants to keep the “only two” rule in, then they should reward the two teams from any AQ conference that play for the conference title or, if there is no conference title game, limit themselves to the top two finishers in the conference.
I don’t begrudge Louisville theire BCS berth, after all, they did win the Big East, and until things change the Big East is an AQ conference, so their champion SHOULD get a BCS nod.
You can’t really blame NIU, either. Again, it goes to the way the BCS is structured. They won their non-AQ conference, and finished in the top 16 and ahead of a conference champion from an AQ conference. That is the carrot that is currently being held out to the non-AQ conferences, so don’t blame them for grabbing it. IF you want to blame someone, blame the polls and computers for ranking them where they did.
humbug
December 12th, 2012
5:46 pm
Based on their performance against South Carolina and Aladambama the answer is no.
David Granger
December 12th, 2012
5:46 pm
Your point is certainly well-reasoned, Mark. Although we knew going into the SEC Championship Game that the loser would drop below Florida and out of the BCS picture. That’s just the way the system works, and they don’t want to let one conference dominate all the BCS slots. Still, I’m glad that we got to play Alabama. At least we had our destiny in our own hands.
But now we need to take control of the Capital One Bowl game from the very kickoff, and beat Nebraska solidly. We have had problems in the past (and even some this year) with playing down to the level of our opponents…and if we go into the bowl game unprepared and lose to a team that we should NOT lose to, then a very fine season will end on a real sour note.
To Tell the Truth
December 12th, 2012
5:48 pm
GA lost so their record has 2 losses instead of FL’s one! Therefore, you CHOKE, you do not deserve to move ahead of anyone else just because you made it! IT don’t work that way!!! 32 years and still counting!!!!
LMAO!!!
BamaMag.com Offers DVD Of BCS Game – BamaMag.com (subscription) | Sports News Zone
December 12th, 2012
5:48 pm
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Flo- Ri - Duh
December 12th, 2012
5:53 pm
UGA played the 32nd most difficult schedule in the nation and Bama was # 29….. very little difference. Florida played a few cupcakes too and Tech played in the Atlantic Cup Cake Association. UGA did not get left out o the BCS because of their schedule…… that is untrue. The rules are that only TWO teams from one conference can play in the BCS Bowls. UGA was penalized because they lost to the #2 ,soon to be #1 team, Bama. UGA beat Florida and in fact if you figure in Bama in UGA’s schedule then UGA would have a higher rated schedule than Florida. So just cut the weak schedule B.S. UGA played #1,#2 & #7 rated teams – can’t help if teams that are usually ranked (Tenn & Auburn) suck right now. Florida State was ranked higher than they should have been – they are very over rated. Georgia beat Florida on the field straight up there fore Florida is not better than UGA. You Lizards should be ashamed because you were GIVEN the BCS bowl game before two teams rated higher than you even played in the SEC championship. En
DONNAN OF A NEW ERA
December 12th, 2012
5:57 pm
What is it with DWAG fans that make them think they are better than they really are? UGAG lost and now they have to go to a crappy bowl game.
DONNAN OF A NEW ERA
December 12th, 2012
5:59 pm
Please tell us all how UGA is better than TAM and Florida? Florida has one loss and TAM beat Bama. Please, continue with the “UGA is better BS”
Wet Willie...keep on smiling
December 12th, 2012
6:00 pm
AJ will return for his SR year…great we will be in the hunt again. See you good folks. Remember you’re UGA….
Dream Team
Ring Team
Betty Crocker Brownie Team
Finish the Drill Team
Beat Yo Girlfriend Team
Flunk Me Out Team
Up in Smoke Team
Sign 40 Players Team
1980 Great Fooball Team
We Miss Vince Team
Note….Mike Slive told old Gregg to never ever never ever go public placing Mike and the SEC in a tuff PR spot with his little girl whine! Mike says when you have one player that attempts to poke the eyes of another player and a safety going for a headshot then don’t call me when Bama player blast your little QB. Crickets is all I hear from Mike.
bham dawg
December 12th, 2012
6:00 pm
gators can say nothing about a weak schedule. sure yall beat 3 top ten teams but we didn’t have the opportunity to play them. the team we did have the opportunity to play was florida and we know what happened. so by saying we would lose to all the teams yall beat only downgrades your team bc we beat you.
Flo- Ri - Duh
December 12th, 2012
6:01 pm
UGA is still better than Florida and STILL should be rated #3 if they beat Nebraska and Bama beats Notre Dame. Predicting here that Bama will win by 17 over Notre Dame.. but could get real ugly if Notre Dame turns the ball over. Final poll should be #1 Bama #2 Texas A&M #3 UGA #4 Florida #5 LSU #6 South Carolina #7 Oregon #8 Notre Dame # 9 Stanford # 10 K-State.. Florida gets a cup cake in Louisville and that should not improve their ranking when they beat them 3 TD’s.
truth
December 12th, 2012
6:02 pm
Why do you tek fans think gt can play football.
Flo- Ri - Duh
December 12th, 2012
6:02 pm
Dumb Wad – Georgia is better than Florida because 17 – 9 butt whipping they put on them. Case closed. Go home NERD.
DONNAN OF A NEW ERA
December 12th, 2012
6:03 pm
“UGA is still better than Florida and STILL should be rated #3 if they beat Nebraska and Bama beats Notre Dame.”
UGA will not jump a one loss Florida team if Florida wins.
trueblueeagle
December 12th, 2012
6:04 pm
A beat bulldog whines………next year uga 6-6 at best…..fire CMR will be heard again, again
What an idiot
December 12th, 2012
6:05 pm
There you go again counting them damn chickens before they’re hatched. Richt could very easily lose this bowl. Look at some of the recent muffs. You are one stupid W of a writer.
What an idiot
December 12th, 2012
6:08 pm
Bradley, you need to stop. You are clearly showing your slant toward UGA. I thought you were a KY grad that should stay somewhat impartial in your rants.
That was not a great game. Bama was exposed. ND was exposed by Pitt. Should be Bama vs Oregon or Stanford.
STW
December 12th, 2012
6:09 pm
4 more points, 5 more yards and 2 more minute on the clock would have been a UGA lead and enough time for Alabama to come back and win again. MB still whining for the Dawgs
jake from state farm
December 12th, 2012
6:14 pm
Best homer column yet, Mark. What a freaking load! This ought to sell papers to the fleabags.
jake from state farm
December 12th, 2012
6:16 pm
Dawgs fans are still the most delusional wad heads in the country. Just like ESPN said.
What an idiot
December 12th, 2012
6:17 pm
Bradley, if your bosses did anything, they’d call you down for this article. Just count the number of people you turned off with this crap. At some point that translated to “why the hell should I read Bradley”. It’s like those damn Yahoo articles, nothing about nothing.
jake from state farm
December 12th, 2012
6:18 pm
Look morons – using your logic, South Carolina should be ranked way ahead of you because they kicked your sorry butts.
gt4ever
December 12th, 2012
6:19 pm
Again, UGA has beat NOBODY, and their defense has stopped nobody…
Steve
December 12th, 2012
6:26 pm
That’s right gt4ever! UGA DID NOT beat Florida this year! Good call!
delane
December 12th, 2012
6:31 pm
SC lost bad to Florida at Florida. Lost a close one to LSU at night at LSU. Georgia lost a close one to Alabama in Atlanta. Lost bad in Columbia. Should not SC be ranked as high as UGA? They beat Clemson at Clemson. If UGA beats Nebraska and SC beats Michigan, SC will stay 9th or 10th in the rankings, but UGA will move up. But, SC is better than UGA period.
Screwball
December 12th, 2012
6:34 pm
The empty seats and sliding TV ratings will tell the story. Sure NIU is a good story but who will watch them play Fla St? No one watched Fla St play Tech. They play the BCS games one night at a time so they can guarantee an audience even for a dreadful matchup. This year, it will be put to the test. I agree – Georgia Nebraska is a better matchup (in terms of casual fan interest, 2 storied programs etc) than Fla – Louisville.
Another Steve
December 12th, 2012
6:36 pm
Dear Mark and all the other barking dawgs,
The AP, BCS, and USA Today Coach’s Poll all have the Gators ranked ahead of uga. You can cry, and kick, and hold your breath until you’re blue, but you’re in a very small minority. Enjoy your 17-9 for the year.
gt4ever
December 12th, 2012
6:38 pm
Ok Steve, I’ll give you that one, even though Florida gave the game to you… That’s ONE!
Gordon
December 12th, 2012
6:40 pm
UGA logic: Let’s use head to head when talking about Florida, but let’s use the overall record when talking about South Carolina. Also, the strength of schedule should have absolutely nothing to do with it, nor should the margin of defeat in your losses. Finally, not only should the winner of the SEC Championship automatically go to the BCS title game, the loser should get an automatic BCS bid, especially if the losing team played really well.
Did I miss anything?
Another Steve
December 12th, 2012
6:42 pm
The SEC is going to have to address the inequality in scheduling or our conference championship will lose its value. Both bama and georgia had very soft schedules. Is it too late to go back to 12 teams. A home and home schedule requiring 12 years to complete is too long.
Double T
December 12th, 2012
6:42 pm
I cannot say tha we are 3rd, but I can say we beat Florida on a neutral site. Who cares about the BCS, it is so screwed up, just the fact that a 16th ranked team goes ahead of a 5,6 or 7th place teams wrong. Oh Yeah, I forgot we live in the “everyone gets a trophy” era, so why not let NW Illinois get to play? Who cares after number one anyway. We did not lose by 5 yards, we lost to Alabama. Are we as good, most think so, was Vegas concerned if UGA played ND, you bet. So anything after the game for number one does not matter because you have chumps like Kirbstreet and granddad hating us. Who cares, let’s learn to win the big games and let the rest take care of itself. UGA is a great team and no one can take that away from them, we just have to get a bit better. This is so similar to politics and look at the group we have making those rules. GO DAWGS.
Steve
December 12th, 2012
6:46 pm
Right again gt4ever! I mean UGA had nothing to do with causing turnovers. Great point! My gosh you are more uneducated than GTBob! Enjoy bowl loss #8 in a row this year!
steve is a dummy
December 12th, 2012
6:49 pm
@Steve “UGA wasn’t penalized for falling 5 yards short. It was penalized for having an easy schedule, and losing two of three toughest games it played.”
Bawhaaahahahah.
And you wonder why everyone calls you a damn fool? UGA played 3 teams in the top 5.
Brainiac(Dawg for life)(CMR fan for life)
December 12th, 2012
6:50 pm
@ Woooooo:
The “professionals” that are picked to determine which team is No. 1 thru No. 25 had UGA rated No. 3 in the Nation so the fact that that UGA lost by 4 in a very close game to the team ranked No.2(eventually will be No.1) in a game where the Bama coach VOTED UGA No. 3 after their game with UGA and candidly admitted that it could easily gone either way means a hell of a lot more than Single Digit IQs like you. I can live with the way things came out but you apparently not only don’t know anything………you don’t even suspect anything. This is a BIG BOY BLOG and you are just a little boy so run along and grow up, MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY or you may get “housed” by the BIG BOYS!!!!!!!
Little Twerp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Footballrules
December 12th, 2012
6:50 pm
Whew….too close to 1980 for me. Hopefully another 32 years before they even get close to a National Title Game!!!! Now….GO IRISH!!!!!!
Steve
December 12th, 2012
6:53 pm
Yup, UGA has total control over their SEC schedule! Ha. What a moron! Oh there were a few cupcakes on the schedule you say? Hmmmm go look at every ACC and SEC schedule and let me know if other teams scheduled cupcakes also. Wow what a fool.
UGADawg83
December 12th, 2012
6:55 pm
I don’t believe that anyone is saying Florida should not be in the BCS and Georgia should. Rather the argument is that Northern Illinois and Louisville shouldn’t be there. However, to answer the Florida fans lets flip the scenario a bit. Lets say Florida beat Georgia in JAX and Georgia had beaten Carolina. Florida having to play the extra game would have had two losses. (Florida doesn’t beat ‘Bama either) There would be great howling from the Jean-Short Nation over Georgia’s BCS bowl. Just food for thought.
dawgster
December 12th, 2012
7:02 pm
I truly get amazed at some of the idiotic hater comments on here…so the argument here is whether the dawgs deserve a BCS game or not…First let me say this…the gators deserve a BCS bowl game, no doubt in my mind…but also, I believe winning the SEC East should not penalize you either. we can debate all day who is more deserving…or who had a better body of work…the fact is and it is fact…the dawgs beat the gators this year and last…some of you seem to think its a fluke…but if I remember from my playing days and coaching days, making turnovers is usually the result of the other team making plays or creating enough pressure on you to cause turnovers…but seems many of you give no credence to the dawgs for the gators problems that day in jax…
Also when the dawgs played USCe we had our share of turnovers and bad play…wonder if the gamecocks had anything to do with that…I suspect they did…they earned that “W” just as we did against the gators…so please know what you are talking about when you make comments…..
I believe the point to Bradley’s article was that the dawgs deserved a BCS game too, and that it had nothing to do with the gators not deserving one also…I believe he made that clear…some of you don’t seem able to comprehend….I suspect it’s more to do with the trolls who love to stir it up….Whether the dawgs are the third best team in the country or not is open to debate…I’m sure dawg fans think they are and others don’t believe they are…thats really for everyone to debate I guess…but one thing is clear and there is no doubt…the dawgs beat the gators head to head…and nothing can change that, just as nothing can change the fact that the dawgs had their chance against bama, and didn’t get it done….and the truth be known, even had we won, it probably wouldn’t have change the haters minds…it would have been that we were lucky or that bama gave it to us…so fellow dawgs, don’t worry about some of these idiotic comments from haters….In closing I will just say that whether we agree or not with the BCS format, it does seem wrong that some other SEC Teams are left our of the BCS regardless of how their season went and where they are ranked in the Top Ten….Hopefully the new playoff format will resolve some of the issues…go dawgs
GTBob
December 12th, 2012
7:07 pm
I am thinking 10-2 or 9-3. (Comment from GTBob in 3, 2, 1….)
9-3 or 8-4 sounds about right for UGA next year. Although with Richt it could go lower than that.
BamaStan
December 12th, 2012
7:08 pm
Absolutely not, Georgia is exactly where they belong. 3 game schedule and went 1-2. Go cry else where chumps!
GTBob
December 12th, 2012
7:09 pm
outside of the SEC, find me a team that KNOWS, with confidence, they could sweep Tennessee, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt.
Are you kidding? Just about every team in the top 25 would sweep those three teams without breaking a sweat.
GTBob
December 12th, 2012
7:10 pm
Unfortunately, we beat up on each other all season long, and a few really good teams suffer for it.
Yeah, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, and Auburn were all really good teams. Vandy too. They were amazing when they got beat down by Northwestern.
Steve
December 12th, 2012
7:11 pm
Good point GTBob, what was I thinking? 0-12 or maybe 1-11 sounds about right. Gosh I am stupid! Did you cry being away from the UGA blog for a few hours? I bet you just could not wait to get back on the ole computer!
DONNAN OF A NEW ERA
December 12th, 2012
7:14 pm
Why did my youtube vid of a whiny bulldog get pulled?