Georgia Bulldogs heading back to familiar bowl game following SEC Championship loss
The Georgia Bulldogs are officially out of the running for the National Championship title and will make their way back to a familiar bowl game on New Year’s Day.
They were not one of the four teams selected for the College Football Playoff: Those teams were: No. 1 LSU Tigers, No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes, No. 3 Clemson Tigers and No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners. Georgia came in at No. 5.
The Bulldogs will face the Baylor Bears in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1.
For the second consecutive season, Georgia found itself needing a win to clinch a berth in the College Football Playoff. For the second consecutive season, the Bulldogs will be watching — and maybe tweeting — from home.
Georgia’s players knew they had to beat top-ranked LSU to have a shot at the playoffs. After the Bulldogs’ 20-17 loss to South Carolina on Oct. 12, their margin of error was zero. It’s that ugly home loss to an unranked, 4-8 Gamecocks team that will ultimately keep UGA out of playoff contention this year.
There was no pleading to the committee by Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart, ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit or any others this year. Ultimately, Georgia’s two-loss record and loss to the Gamecocks were enough to spell the Bulldogs’ fate.
Georgia went into last season’s Sugar Bowl against the Texas Longhorns with a chip on their shoulder after falling to Alabama in the SEC Championship and receiving a No. 5 ranking in the CFP. The Bulldogs lost 28-21.
The Bulldogs have not made the playoff since 2017. That year, Georgia beat Auburn in the SEC Championship to clinch a playoff berth, then won a memorable Rose Bowl over Oklahoma and came within 26 yards of beating Alabama in the national championship.
This story was originally published December 8, 2019 at 12:26 PM.
