Georgia vs. Nebraska in Capital One Bowl (UPDATED w/ comments)
(Updated 10 p.m.)
A day after coming up five yards short of a trip to Miami for the national championship game, Georgia’s football team learned Sunday that it will play a bowl game in a different Florida city.
The Bulldogs (11-2) will play Nebraska (10-3) in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando on Jan. 1 in a matchup of the losers of the SEC and Big Ten championship games.
While Georgia lost the SEC title to Alabama 32-28 on the final play of a stirring game, Nebraska endured an embarrassing 70-31 loss to Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game.
The Capital One, which holds first choice of SEC teams after the BCS games, had been rumored to be considering Texas A&M and its Heisman Trophy candidate, quarterback Johnny Manziel. But after Georgia’s strong performance against Alabama, the bowl opted to take the Bulldogs, who dropped from No. 3 to No. 7 in the final BCS standings released Sunday night.
Notre Dame and Alabama remained Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, and will meet in the national championship game on Jan. 7 in Miami. Alabama survived an SEC title game that saw the lead change hands five times and ended with Georgia on the Crimson Tide’s 5-yard line as time ran out.
Florida moved up to No. 3 in the BCS standings Sunday and, as the second highest ranked SEC team, will go to the Sugar Bowl to play Big East co-champ Louisville.
Other BCS games will match Pac-12 champion Stanford vs. Big Ten champ Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl, Big 12 co-champ Kansas State vs. BCS No. 4 Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl and ACC champ Florida State vs. Mid-American champ Northern Illinois in the Orange Bowl. In the latest controversial chapter of BCS history, Northern Illinois (12-1) received a BCS berth by being ranked in the top 16 (No. 15) and ahead of at least one champion of an automatic-qualifying conference.
After Florida passed Georgia in the rankings, UGA was locked out of a shot at a BCS game because of a rule allowing no more than two teams from a single league to get BCS bids, a rule that Alabama coach Nick Saban sharply criticized after beating the Bulldogs. Saban called it “a crying shame” and “ridiculous” that Georgia would be excluded from a BCS invitation.
Actually, Georgia appeared in danger of falling farther down the bowl pecking order than the Capital One. But that’s where the Bulldogs landed after some late scrambling among bowls triggered by Northern Illinois earning a BCS berth at the expense of Oklahoma.
“If we weren’t going to be in a BCS game, this is the location we wanted to be,” Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity said Sunday night.
But McGarity added, “There’s no question — there’s absolutely no question — that we are deserving of a BCS bid. … There’s no question we played great the last half of the season and just to see the way we laid it on the line (Saturday) proved that we’re right there along with the best in college football.”
Capital One Bowl CEO Steve Hogan called the selection of Georgia “an easy decision” in the end.
“No offense to Texas A&M,” Hogan said. “I think they’ve had a fine first year in the conference, a 10-win team. And we have an opportunity to get an 11-win division champion, a few yards away from a national championship.
“The most important thing to our committee was, Georgia deserved this trip. And we’re fortunate to have a team, really, that is of BCS quality.”
After the Capital One selected Georgia, the Outback, which had the next pick from the SEC East, chose South Carolina to play Michigan. And the Cotton, with the next pick from the SEC West, chose Texas A&M to form a marquee matchup against surprisingly available Oklahoma.
The Capital One Bowl will be played at 1 p.m. on New Year’s Day in Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium and will be televised on ABC.
Georgia coach Mark Richt said he foresees no problem in getting the Bulldogs to bounce back from the disappointment of losing the SEC title game and their national championship aspirations.
“I think playing Nebraska is going to get everybody’s blood pumping,” Richt said. “There aren’t many teams in the history of Georgia football that have ever won 12 games in a season and it’s going to mean something to them. I know our guys want to finish on a high note.”
Georgia and Nebraska have met only once previously in football. Georgia lost to the Cornhuskers 45-6 in the 1969 Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas.
This will be Georgia’s sixth appearance in the Capital One Bowl. The Bulldogs are 3-1-1 in the Orlando game, most recently defeating Michigan State there at the end of the 2008 season.
In Saturday’s loss to Wisconsin, Nebraska’s defense allowed 640 total yards, including 539 yards rushing. Against Alabama, Georgia’s defense surrendered 512 yards, including 350 rushing.
– Tim Tucker, AJC
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
841 comments Add your comment
kingdaddy
December 2nd, 2012
10:18 pm
Sad to be a Techie, living in a Dawg blog…
BamaStan
December 2nd, 2012
10:19 pm
Floriduh, you were 1-2 against ranked teams. Florida was 4-1, 1 win only gets you so far. Next time, man up and win a big game and you don’t have to worry about it.
Chuck
December 2nd, 2012
10:19 pm
Coach,
Your frinds in PR at the AJC have now given us the “Only 5 yards away” line that will live forever.
What about the 1000 yards your defense allowed in the last two games?
Any comment?
NYC Dawg
December 2nd, 2012
10:20 pm
Thanks General. It’s too bad that the minority of low-class “fans” create a disproportionate noise level and distract from a fun discussion.
Ckgator
December 2nd, 2012
10:23 pm
Every SECCG loser goes to a tier-2 two bowl nearly every year, and suddenly it’s an abomination when it happens to Georgia?
The team in front of you is 4-1 against top ranked teams. You played 3 ranked teams all year, went 1-2 against them, and now the world owes you something? The culture of the entitled Georgia fan never ceases to amaze.
Gen Neyland
December 2nd, 2012
10:23 pm
Erk Russell’s Dog : You are right but the computer sees another angle. The system is sort of skewed but it’s the system we have. Kinda sucks for the Dawgs and we viewers of the game. I’d rather watch UGA play Nebraska than No.IL…
kmarshall4
December 2nd, 2012
10:23 pm
bama must have the best o line coach in the country to run the ball almost 50 times and not hold 1 time when most analyst say you could call holding on every play
Erk Russell's Dog
December 2nd, 2012
10:24 pm
CHUCK
Are you asking me the question or are you just repeating what your listeners are telling you?And actually I think it was only 955 yards allowed, Hey Grantham get you arse in here ,how much are we paying you again?
Beast from the East
December 2nd, 2012
10:24 pm
Erk Russell’s Dog
December 2nd, 2012
10:17 pm
Beast from East
It was not a great game but if I recall UGA beat Florida this year. It most real situations in real leagues and tournaments ,head to head match ups is the only tiebreaker that is considered. But only FBS college football use a subjective system to rate their teams ,and that is how we have these wonderful match ups in the BCS bowls this year.I am not trying to take anything away from the Gators ,in this screwed up system they are where they belong. I just think the rest of the SEC teams and the viewing public are getting the shaft from the BCS.
———————–
A tie-breaker WAS used to determine who got a chance to play for the SECC. The bowl bids are based on national rankings. Apparently, UF’s body of work was more impressive than UGA’s to those that matter. I cannot see how anyone thinks that UGA’s body of work was more impressive than UGA’s. Would you have Texas A&M playing for the BCS since they beat Bama in Tuscaloosa?
Beast from the East
December 2nd, 2012
10:27 pm
Than UF’s.
christophorm
December 2nd, 2012
10:28 pm
If there is not going to be playoffs and only go by ranking to enter bowl games..then have no conference playoff game .The rest who don’t make the conference playoff or don’t have one, benefit by the conference playoff.. !! CFB cess pool.
DILLIGAF
December 2nd, 2012
10:29 pm
Ckgator:
“The team in front of you is 4-1 against top ranked teams. You played 3 ranked teams all year, went 1-2 against them”
Beat your team’s ass and would do it again if played this coming Saturday.
GATA!
UGA/85′
Norm
December 2nd, 2012
10:30 pm
As a GT fan…UGA got screwed!
MT
December 2nd, 2012
10:32 pm
Too many fake UGA fans here. We’ve been too spoiled by success to appreciate what we have. Richt is a good coach and runs a good program. Would you rather be a Tennessee fan? They were the program to beat not all that long ago. What about Auburn? They won the NC just a couple years ago. I guess it’s easy to fuss and complain and spew hatred about UGA when you never went to school there.
More Richt BS
December 2nd, 2012
10:33 pm
Win SEC and this bowl discussion never happens. Richt will never win the big one. UGA fans are soft and do not demand the best.
Erk Russell's Dog
December 2nd, 2012
10:33 pm
Beast
Calm down my problem is not with the Gators and their Sugar Bowl selection ,I just think the BCS would be better without the arcane rules about conference tie ins. The teams that finish in your computer ,AP and coaches poll in the top ten should be first in line for the BCS bowls. Then the fans would have more great match ups to get excited about. Really would you rather see the Gators matched up against Oregon or K-State than the big least winner Louisville.
Puzzled
December 2nd, 2012
10:34 pm
What’s up with the Rose Bowl? Wisconsin who is not even ranked is going to the Rose Bowl because of tradition? If the Orange and Sugar Bowls cannot make these kinds of decisions, how can the Rose Bowl? Georgia should be playing in the Rose Bowl.
Ckgator
December 2nd, 2012
10:36 pm
Dawgs have no real case for a BCS slot *by the current rules,* but I have to admit I’d much rather see a Georgia-FSU Orange Bowl than a Huskie-Semi matchup.
Paul in NH
December 2nd, 2012
10:36 pm
To read some of the comments you would think that the BCS is a system that is supposed to reward all of the best teams. The BCS is a cartel set up by the big 6 conferences (soon to be big 5) to match 1 vs 2 and also to ensure that the vast majority of the bowl $ goes to members of the AQ conferences. Cartels work when all of the members share in the profits and to do this you have to let the champions of your partner conferences go to a BCS game.
Ask Boise State about the BCS – they lost one game in 2011, were ranked #7 when the bowl match ups were made and dropped all the way to the Las Vegas Bowl. The only reason that NIU is going to a BCS bowl is that the BCS changed their rules when Orrin Hatch started talking about anti-trust hearings.
dwight jundt
December 2nd, 2012
10:37 pm
So you know I am Nebraska born, bred, alum – and we will be slaughtered by Georgia. Against Wisconsin we played like a sorry high school. You deserved better – and I wish you had gotten better. Funniest blog here: “Gotta give Nebraska credit for holding Wisconsin to 70.” Beautiful. 70-31 – game was not nearly that close!
Tampa Gator
December 2nd, 2012
10:43 pm
DILLIGAF…..
If Georgia beat Florida’s ass…..then Bama kicked Dawg ass Saturday night. But neither happened, in reality. Georgia beat Florida when Florida did not play their best for sure. But Georgia still beat them. But Bama beat Georgia when Georgia played their best……and that would be more of a “beating your ass” type of game. As far as beating Florida ass if you played them again….we will never know that…..but I highly doubt that would happen….and I doubt most Georgia fans would truly want to play Florida again with the SEC East on the line again. Just saying.
Erk Russell's Dog
December 2nd, 2012
10:43 pm
Damn ,Here we go again it it all the Republicans fault.This current BCS system can’t end soon enough.How the heck does a non AQ ranked #13 get a prime bowl slot like the Orange Bowl. Hope N.Illinois brings all of their fans or we will have another low attendance ACC championship game repeat.
Ralph Kramden
December 2nd, 2012
10:44 pm
Georgia beat Florida… Georgia lost to a sorry South Carolina team. Alabama beat Georgia… Florida should be and is ranked in front of Georgia. Get over it…. Georgia is where they should be… Wise up… Get rid of Richt. His decisions have cost games (1-11)…. FIRE RICHT…. Oh yeah…. Alabama just scored again….
Gator Nation
December 2nd, 2012
10:45 pm
@ Paul in NH.
I was saying the exact same thing to a buddy of mine just 10 minutes ago. He was complaining about Florida having to play Louisville and that most of the bowl match ups suck. What I don’t get is why the “Cartel” doesn’t figure out that they could make MORE money by providing better bowl match ups and still keep most of the money for themselves. College football could dominate the December sports landscape with the NFL if they were smart.
Erk Russell's Dog
December 2nd, 2012
10:47 pm
I guess N.Illinois played a stronger schedule than Oklahoma ,texas A&M, South Carolina . LSU , Clemson and Georgia. I think N. Illinois did play Iowa ,and lost.
Delbert D.
December 2nd, 2012
10:48 pm
Paul – Well put.
Tampa Gator
December 2nd, 2012
10:50 pm
Erk Russell’s Dog…..
Florida did not finish second to Georgia in the East……they tied for the title of East Champs….and both will get co-title trophies to go in respective trophy cases. But Georgia did win the tie breaker for the SEC title game based on their win over Florida….but Georgia and Florida are co champs of the East. Just the facts.
Fats G
December 2nd, 2012
10:52 pm
UGA may be the number 2 team in the country. Take it out on Nebraska boys!
UF44
December 2nd, 2012
10:52 pm
He!! ga, you think we are turning flips over playing Louisville, LOUISVILLE in the sugar bowl? I could give a rats azz where we are playing if we are not in the championship game. You beat us, you got your shot at it. We just play where they tell us to go. What the he!! is your beef with us?
Paul in NH
December 2nd, 2012
10:52 pm
@Gator Nation
The way the colleges would really make money is to do away with the BCS completely, organize a “real” playoff and have cities bid to host the final game. There is plenty of time in December to have an 8 team (heck, a 16 team) playoff. The ND-ALA game is over 5 weeks from now – you can’t tell me that there couldn’t be some playoff games before then.
Erk Russell's Dog
December 2nd, 2012
10:55 pm
Too all Gator fans ,You are where you belong in the Sugar Bowl, playing a very deserving Louisville Cardinal team. Gators play your best and you should win and uphold the honor of the SEC. Good Luck and Good Night .
playmeortrademe
December 2nd, 2012
10:57 pm
Here’s what I’m going to say in defense of the so-called “haters”
Every year you hear about the great recruiting classes, the “Dream Team”, these stud players coming to UGA and all. Hearing that, you would think the Georgia’s teams should be competing for national championships more often than not.
But that hasn’t happened under Richt. He’s never had a year where his team honestly deserved to be in the national title picture at the end of the year. 2007 and this year, Georgia caught some lucky breaks both years because they lost earlier than other teams.
Hate on me all you want, but when Richt can’t win with what people perceive to be equal or greater talent on the field, I think it’s fair to question his ability to take the program to a championship level.
If you disagree with me, at least come back at me with a decent counter-argument, and not just an idiotic insult.
Delbert D.
December 2nd, 2012
10:59 pm
The commissioners and the presidents always say “No, too much time involved, finals, etc., too many games for the student-athletes, can’t have those playoff weeks in December.” Wait, the FCS does it, by definition. The bowl committees even aside from the BCS *are* the problem.
Gator Nation
December 2nd, 2012
11:00 pm
@ Paul in NH
Absolutley they would make more money with an 8 team playoff. And staying at 8 wouldn’t water down the regular season which is the most exciting in all of sports. Can’t go to 16, then you would do what NCAA B-ball has done where the regular season is overlooked for March Madesss.
But you would have another money problem when you go to a 8 team playoff. You would have to give part of the money pie to the small conferences (like BBall does) or you would get the old anit-trust folks seriously on your tail. They are keeping it at four to make more money and keep it all of it away from the little conferences.
Put in Timeout by Ken Sugiura,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned once by Bill King & Chip Towers but only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
December 2nd, 2012
11:02 pm
Fats G
December 2nd, 2012
10:52 pm
UGA may be the number 2 team in the country.
=================================
What country would that be? Australia?
Erk Russell's Dog
December 2nd, 2012
11:03 pm
One more for Tampa Gator . I am confused by your 10.50 post. You said Georgia won the head to head tie breaker by beating the Gators .But the Gators get a CO-CHAMP trophy , ok if you say so. I bet that trophy will be displayed in the front of the Gator trophy case .Sort of like a participation trophy the Dawgs got for finishing second behind Bama yesterday.
Paul in NH
December 2nd, 2012
11:08 pm
Delbert – I agree with you about the bowl committees being the problem.
Talking about the time demands (and physical demands) on the SA’s you are just using football as the example. You need to check out the college hockey season. The hockey powers play their first game at the beginning of October and then play 2x/week until March when the playoffs begin. BC won the final in April the night AFTER the NCAA b’ball final.
yeah uh huh
December 2nd, 2012
11:08 pm
no surprise uga gets no respect, look how their whiny fans react typical
Puzzled
December 2nd, 2012
11:08 pm
Georgia should be playing in the Rose Bowl. How can the Rose Bowl be allowed to have an 8-5 Wisconsin team play Standford when Wisconsin is not even ranked? Both the Orange and Sugar Bowls are not allowed to do that! Tradition is not a good enough reason for something like this. Rose Bowl officials are nothing but snobs.
Put in Timeout by Ken Sugiura,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned once by Bill King & Chip Towers but only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
December 2nd, 2012
11:09 pm
Bowl games are for entertainment purposes only.
Who cares who and where you play it is for Fun for the kids and money for the cities.
We don’t need a playoff…..these kids are supposed to be getting an EDUCATION and sports are a means to do that but Sports shouldn’t interfere with Students going to class and getting a degree.
Tampa Gator
December 2nd, 2012
11:11 pm
Erik….
I do not know if division champs get trophies……..but I doubt it…..but Florida and Georgia were co-champs of the East this year by record. That is how it works. The right to play in the championship game is determined by record first and head to head second. And….no….if they gave a trophy for division wins….I doubt Florida would put it anywhere near the multiple SEC and National Championship trophies they have won since 1990.
Dawg Whisperer
December 2nd, 2012
11:13 pm
I prefer the Capital One Bowl playing the Huskers to a Sugar Bowl trip playing Louisville but another 5 yards in the SEC championship would have landed a destination in Miami. Actually, the SEC championship was our bowl game and far more important than any of the other bowls outside of Miami. Just ask Muschamp
Paul in NH
December 2nd, 2012
11:13 pm
Gator Nation
I agree with you that keeping it at 4 keeps out the little guys but I would prefer to see the whole BCS system get blown up and the playoffs be run by the schools. To do that you either have to go through the NCAA (which would entail revenue sharing, even if your conference doesn’t make it) or we get some new organization.
td
December 2nd, 2012
11:18 pm
The top 5 or 6 teams in the SEC are better then any other team in the nation and should all be playing in a BCS bowl. ND would be considered the 5th or 6th best team in the SEC. Oregon would be a 7-5 team in the SEC and K state would not even have a winning record. Just look what the SEC did to the ACC on the last weekend of the season.
The rest of the country is jealous of the quality of ball played in the SEC and they will pull any move they can to not have to SEC given their just due. The National Championship game was played Saturday night and Alabama will destroy ND.
Shack
December 2nd, 2012
11:18 pm
U r puzzled. If u want into a bcs bowl here’s the Georgia formula….. Schedule a feast of cupcakes… Kentucky, Tennessee, auburn… Convince pollsters that the beating in south Carolina never happened… And spike the ball when u have 15 seconds left and no timeouts (oops!)…. Stop making excuses or talking about other teams who got it done… Georgia had their chance and CHOKED
Seldon Seen
December 2nd, 2012
11:19 pm
Why is nobody gnashing their teeth about the free ride Notre Dame is getting? They aren’t in ANY conference — much less the SEC! They do not have to play a conference Championship game for the love of St.Pete. I’m a Dawg fan and I hope Bama beats them 85 to 0. What a joke they are. The national media’s “little darlings” will go down to Bama by at least 20 points and would have gone down to The Dawgs by a similar margin. BCS a national joke to any reasonable person. The Dawgs should decline the Toilet Bowl invite as a matter of principle! Oh forgot. Money rules. Pride means nothing.
UF44
December 2nd, 2012
11:20 pm
Dawg Whisperer
December 2nd, 2012
11:13 pm
Well if we got our 5 yards you would have never had to worry about your 5 yards cause you would not have been there! So with that 5 yard thing, don’t use that on a Gator! If’’s, but’s, we both missed our 5 yards!
PeggySue61
December 2nd, 2012
11:22 pm
Enough of this trash talking from some of these posts. Nebraska is a great team. They were 10-2 before they played Wisconsin in their title game. If they had won, they would be 11-2. On any given Saturday, any team can lose. And we all know about that. I think UGA and Nebraska will be a great matchup. Only two teams from any conference can play in a BCS Bowl game. After UGA lost to Bama in one of the greatest SEC championship games ever, that left Bama and Florida to play in a BCS bowl game. Florida plays Louisville in the Sugar Bowl. I think UGA/Nebraska is a better match up. And I can remember years when we (UGA) were upset because we didn’t get the Capital One or the Outback Bowls. And the Cotton Bowl is not a BCS Bowl either. So quit the badmouthing. I know UGA fans are not the ones being so negative. Gooooo Dawgs and Gooooo SEC! Let’s show them all which conference is the toughest. Six SEC teams in the top 10! Congratulations!
money
December 2nd, 2012
11:26 pm
The BCS was create as a compromise to get a championship game that we never had about 14 years ago. To get it there were many side deals to spread the money out to the weaker conferences that would only have a championship contender rarely. Fortunately the new system in 2014 will not be so restrictive. The Orange Bowl is just a joke. Ironically it will be on all by it’s self, while so many of the teams we want to see will play at the same time on New Year’s Day.
money
December 2nd, 2012
11:29 pm
I still have never heard anyone mention of who on Alabama tipped that last pass. He should have been the hero of the night.