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
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841 comments Add your comment
fart
December 3rd, 2012
5:36 am
if bama stuffs ND in the championship game it will simply highlight that the BCS is a totally useless system. If anything it should have been Flordia vs the ducks, then T AandM vs. Kanas St., great kanas and the ducks play each othe; talk about a crap hole of a toss up that is. two teams that should not even be in the top ten.
WTH
uncomitted
December 3rd, 2012
6:18 am
Mickey—–UGA has TWO national championships?? 1980 and what other year? 1980 was what …32 years ago. Nebraska has won the national championship FIVE times and the last 3 in 1994, 1995 and 1997. Nebraska should be the team whining–and their not!
uncomitted
December 3rd, 2012
6:19 am
Mickey—–UGA has TWO national championships?? 1980 and what other year? 1980 was what …32 years ago. Nebraska has won the national championship FIVE times and the last 3 in 1994, 1995 and 1997. Nebraska should be the team whining–and they’re not!
GT
December 3rd, 2012
6:40 am
It you had played Alabama in the first place instead of getting them off your schedule you would never have been in the hunt anyway. You would have had your 2 losses early.
Fair n Balanced
December 3rd, 2012
6:41 am
Cancel the Bowl season. America has already seen the two best teams play each other. Give Bama the trophy. BCS go away!
Da Dawgs are Lucky
December 3rd, 2012
7:01 am
They shouldn’t of even been in the SEC Championship game with the bad calls in the Florida game. Florida should of won that one by 10 to 14 points but the refs swung it for Da Dawgs.
old time dog
December 3rd, 2012
7:04 am
Ok here is an example of a moral victory: Georgia Southern hangs with UGA for a half. Losing a conference championship is not a moral victory unless you believe that you are an inferior team. If that is the case move to a different conference or get better. Losing to an equal is NOT any type of victory. Did Romney have a moral victory?
WinderDawg
December 3rd, 2012
7:05 am
Put in Timeout,
I was amazed at the lack of holding calls on the Bama o line! The entire first half everytime a uga player was beating the blocker and about to get loose the arm came out and grabbed. But when ever you play Bama you’ve got to account for the slant by officials to Bama.
Gator
December 3rd, 2012
7:08 am
Oh my gosh, Northern Illinois in the Orange Bowl, are you kidding me. Probably seven SEC teams would dust Northern Illinois, and maybe a couple more. Saban said it best when he addressed the Georgia bowl situation… something is wrong with this picture.
Paperdawg
December 3rd, 2012
7:09 am
At least Nebraska students were alive when they won their last NC
Buckeye
December 3rd, 2012
7:15 am
dogs,
wa wa wa the BCS sucks, the BCS sucks
Enjoy your reward. I’ll be watching Michigan vs. South Carolina.
blackandwhitestripes
December 3rd, 2012
7:26 am
This will be a good game for ugag. They can continue their easy schedule. Roll Tide~~~~~
Dawg Gone
December 3rd, 2012
7:40 am
I want to be upset about the BCS thing but it isn’t really their fault. I still want to be mad at how bad a game the Refs called and how Vern slobbered all over Alabama, but it really just doesn’t matter.
What I really want to know is when Richt is going to get his head out of his ass and make a change at Offensive Coordinator. Apparently Richt is the only dumbass out there that wants Mike Bobo (no one else seems to be asking to interview him) and that speaks the greatest about him.
I know, nothing will be done. We’ll just keep coming up short year after year. We’ll hear more excuses and they’ll say that the players must make plays. Be honest though, the Defense was out there WAY too long because the OFFENSE couldn’t get anything going. Yes, Bama has a good defense but are you KIDDING ME? Did no one watch film on them? The outside corner was soft ALL NIGHT LONG and Bobo wants to run the MIDDLE?????
Well, screw Bama, LSU, Florida and the rest of the SEC, I’m not pulling for them. They can kiss my ass. And one more for Richt you can kiss my ass too.
NC Dawg
December 3rd, 2012
7:42 am
why bother? Completely pointless game.
Tech Fan
December 3rd, 2012
7:43 am
Let’s See, Nebraska gets beat 70 to 31 by Wisconsin. And Georgia comes up six yards short from playing for a National Championship. Yea, I’m sure both team are really motivated to play in the Capital One Bowl. G-Tech you don’t deserve to go to a bowl. FIRE PAUL JOHNSON AND HIS STAFF!
Pat Way
December 3rd, 2012
7:44 am
Hey Put in timeout you are an idiot,if the ref calls personal fall on the late hit on Murrary before half time bama would not have kicked a field goal, they would have been 15 yards farther back and time would have run out check you facts if you can read
Pat Way
December 3rd, 2012
7:45 am
Hey paperdawg, I am sorry you are a tech fan good luck next year loser
Say Whut
December 3rd, 2012
7:50 am
I guess beating Florida meant— nothing? Alabama is the best team, and now UGA is down to 5-6-7? in the rankings.
The BCS is BS. WAGAS. When’s The Masters?
SCTexan
December 3rd, 2012
7:50 am
Nebraska isn’t any better than last year, so you should win by 20+.
Dawg Dad
December 3rd, 2012
7:51 am
@PUT IN TIMEOUT….Uh, excuse me, but Murray was literally looking down the field and WALKING OFF TO THE SIDELINES when the Bama dude BLINDLY CHEAP SHOT him! Sheesh. They showed the replay over and over and even the Bama fans I was with said it was a bad no-call.
The bottom line is that Georgia lost because of a tipped pass at the end of the game that came up short. No doubt that another shots at the endzone would have resulted in a win. Bama fans, who were just celebrating a minute before, were crapping in their crimson colored underwear when Georgia trampled down the field 80 yards in a minute.
Tomás Broun
December 3rd, 2012
7:51 am
Nebraska 42, Georgia 13
Moist Dawg
December 3rd, 2012
7:52 am
Was that a joke pat way?
Pretty in Pink
December 3rd, 2012
7:55 am
Will McGarity ever acknowledge that UGA will never win the big games under Mark Richt?
I love biscuits and gravy
December 3rd, 2012
7:56 am
Dogs let down lose 28-10. Should I even be excited about the Falcons this year? Braves lost, Dogs lost, Tech lost. This state is horrible when it comes to sports teams.
Cal22
December 3rd, 2012
7:57 am
UGA Ys were totally robbed. I mean you played three tough opponents this year and you only lost to two of them. That’s only like a 66.6666667 losing percentage. That should be good enough for a BCS bowl. Someone’s spelling Sugar without UGA.
It was just like that one call in that one game where the GA quarterback threw the ball to the wrong team and after the catch was making a move toward that one guy that caught it from the wrong team but that other guy from the wrong team hit him and the ref was like 10ft away and he just stood there and let the wrong team win like 32 – 28… TOTALLY ROBBED!!!
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 3rd, 2012
7:57 am
David Pollack so Bama was lucky to get the W? UGa was lucky to even be in the SEC CG with their weak butt schedule.
tony
December 3rd, 2012
8:02 am
Nebraska fans have no confident in their team against the dawgs. Comments from their fans:
_____________________________________________
Thanks. We are a poorly coached team and apologize in advance for a boring game when you beat the living s*it out of us. .
Down right now? We’ve been down since 2001. Wish we were worth a crap because it would be fun playing you guys but we suck and I don’t think many will be too excited about this game and I doubt many Husker fans will waste the money to go to the game. It’s too bad but its a reality because of the state of the program. My guess is 10,000 Husker fans at best at the game.
What will happen – is a beat down by the Dawgs on our Huskers. It is a very good team playing a very average team. We really don’t have a chance in this game. Your talent level is vastly superior to ours and it will show. P.S. all you have to do to trounce us is run the ball: a few jet sweeps, a few cut-backs, a reverse or two – heck, they’ll all go for TD’s. All I hope for is mercy from Coach Richt.
Cal22
December 3rd, 2012
8:03 am
Hey Dawg Daddy, amusing but I personally was not crapping in my crimson colored underwear. I’ve seen UGA Ys lose with much more style than that.
Moist Dawg
December 3rd, 2012
8:04 am
Thank you Tony. I guess I don’t even need to watch the game now.
Danny G
December 3rd, 2012
8:06 am
Please just ignore Put in time out. He has issues and is not much of a man.
Just Curious
December 3rd, 2012
8:06 am
@tony
Why should they? Did you see their last game against the 7 & 5 Wisconsin Badgers?
Arnold Stang
December 3rd, 2012
8:09 am
I think we’ve heard enough whining about the referees. It’s amazing how so many dawg fans automatically blame the officiating for every loss. If you want to complain about the real reason for UGA’s failure to win the big games, blame it on the inferior coaching. Richt and his staff are good enough to get winning records, but they’re not good enough to take UGA to the highest level where the championships are won. And nothing’s going to change while Richt & Co. are in Athens.
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 3rd, 2012
8:13 am
I guess we can call the UGA players “The 5 yards short of a Dream Team.” Wow Herschel was so long ago.
UGA's place
December 3rd, 2012
8:25 am
UGA alumnus here. Married to UGA grad, tons of UGA family.
UGA is where we are. We played out the season and our on the field efforts and results, put us in the Cap One.
Buzz
December 3rd, 2012
8:29 am
We suck. And so do you!!!
Tech is Wrecked
December 3rd, 2012
8:30 am
No matter what……..Georgia Tech is still going to suck it up all over the field.
Take that you tech fans……Say what you want about us, but beating you has gotten easier each year. any comments on that? An automatic W no matter what else may happen Georgia is going to beat tech, any wagers on next years game? another beat down, this time in Atlanta.
Thats why no real recruits from the Atalanta area, or the state will give you a real look.
Here is an equation for you GT+ Paul Johnson+triple Floption= Another Georgia beat down rounded to the third power.
Go Dawgs!
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 3rd, 2012
8:31 am
What open Head Coaching Jobs are Bobo interviewing for?
1776
December 3rd, 2012
8:32 am
Dawgs had better not focus on getting shafted out of a BCS bowl and worry about stopping Martinez & Burkhead. The Tide rushed all over the UGA defense and while Bama has a better OL, Burkhead is a better RB than any of Bama’s.
Dumpster fire
December 3rd, 2012
8:32 am
Another Georgia beat down rounded to the third power.
Ha ha, funny, but when i did the math you turned out to be right!
Dumpster fire
December 3rd, 2012
8:34 am
Go home tech fans, We beat you, accept it, it is a way of life for you now right?
We beat you, then you start saying you run the state in business and blah blah blah!
Bitter pills galore this time
December 3rd, 2012
8:39 am
A few universal truths for Dwag Nation to chew on:
The team with intelligence, class, and heart won, which is as it should be.
Kool-Aid doesn’t win the big games, no matter how much of it you swill.
Drunks, potheads, and woman-beaters are not winners in anything.
And, just a reminder that real coaches like Saban win the big games, while overpaid pretenders like Richt do not.
Boricua Jacket
December 3rd, 2012
8:41 am
Tech fan here. Just wanted to say that you guys played one of the most entertaining and hard fought games I have ever seen! Kudos to y’all. It also looks like the BCS screwed y’all over. How in the hell is Northern Illinois more deserving of a BCS bowl spot Than y’all? Absolutely crazy and stupid. I’m a fan of good football, and y’all delivered just that last Saturday. Hope we can beat y’all next year(lol). Go now and destroy Nebraska!
DIT
December 3rd, 2012
8:44 am
Like most of you on here I would have loved to see us go to a BCS Bowl game. Look back on when we went to the Sugar Bowl against Hawaii… We did not go the the SEC CG and yet the loser of that game did not go to the Sugar Bowl.. Florida deserves to go, so do we, but the BCS committee took the higher ranked team. Always does.
How can any UGA fan or Alumn be mad at this team even if they lost? I hated losing, but was very proud of how they never gave up. Best game I have seen the Dawgs play in years. I’m so proud of this team and coaches. Bama was one play better and I tip my hat to them and hope they stomp ND.
Dawg fans, we need to be in Orlando for this game. It has been a great season and this team needs our support. I look forward to being at this game game and watching our Dawgs win this 12th game of the year. Go Dawgs!
Fan1
December 3rd, 2012
8:44 am
UGA gets a weak schedule runs the table after getting smashed by Gamecocks on a very unimpressive schedule. Yes you played hard in the SEC Championship game, but think about it you had all year to rest by playing cream puffs. You played 2 ranked teams the entire season!!!!! Just think if you you had to play South Carolina, LSU, FLorida, or Alabama 3 weeks straight which is what the Gamecocks did this year. You probably come up 2 games short especially with them being on the road!. So you are where we thought you should be. Go to Orlando and blow Nebraska out like the Gamecocks did last year and see you next year. For the record, I think the Dawgs played a GREAT GAME against the Tide.
HoneyBooBooDawg
December 3rd, 2012
8:46 am
We shuld have wun dis game!!! two bad we caint seem know how a game clock wurks.
DIT
December 3rd, 2012
8:46 am
@Boricua Jacket
Thanks, I thought y’all were going to pull that one out as well. Great job in stopping FSU in the 2nd half. No one has been able to that to them all year. Now go stomp USC into the ground!
just me
December 3rd, 2012
8:51 am
uga #7 and going to the little bowl in Orlando is about right. It is also fitting, considering uga’s very weak schedule, that they are set up against a very weak Nebraska team that just gave up 70 points.
I am wondering how many uga fans are still in love with Grantham?. We are told there are 9 NFL caliber players on defense but they gave up over 500 yards and 32 points to an AL team not noted for offense. I also wonder if it will be another 30 years before uga gets this close to playing for a title? If you can’t do it with all of this “talent” when can you? Just wondering.
The facts, just the facts, ma'am
December 3rd, 2012
8:53 am
As much as Tech fans would love to beat Georgia, the reality is that a school like GT with its very high academic requirements is usually going to lose on the football field against schools like Georgia that admit players who can barely read and write, and are prone to being arrested for all manner of criminal acts, including drug use, driving while drunk, beating up women, and urinating in public places, just to name a few of their crimes. Not so long ago, it was schools like Miami and FSU who were infamous for this kind of behavior, but with 53 arrests in the last four years, and a Fulmer Cup win, it’s Georgia and Mark Richt who have become the NCAA’s poster child for everything that’s wrong with college athletics.
Georgia Tech proved in 1990 that it’s possible to win championships with players who are intelligent and have a strong moral and ethical character. Unfortunately, since that time, the rise of football factories like Georgia have made it much more difficult for quality schools like Tech to overcome the inherent advantages that these win-at-all-costs factory schools have.
As long as there are coaches like phony Christian Mark Richt who will do anything to keep his fat paychecks coming in, the situation will only worsen, especially since the school’s administration and fans have abandoned any semblance of demanding excellence both on and off the field. Winning is the only thing that matters now, and the fact that most of their players are functionally illiterate no longer upsets anyone.
It’s a shameful and disgusting situation at UGA, and I have no doubt that the school’s earlier ethical coaches like Wallace Butts and Harry Mehre are spinning in their graves at the thought of what slimy self-serving coaches like Vince Dooley and Mark Richt have done to their school.
papadawg
December 3rd, 2012
8:55 am
This just proves the BCS is pure BS. A bunch clowns picking who they want to see in bowl games. The National Championship game WAS the SEC Championship game. GO DAWGS
Five More Yards...
December 3rd, 2012
8:55 am
We wuz just 5 yards from NC game. Murray must not practice spiking ball in 2 minute drill practices. Damnit.