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In a column I wrote last Monday I wrote “Pittsburgh has about as good a shot of beating the Mountaineers as I have at winning the lottery and quitting school tomorrow.”
Well, to my surprise it happened. But to Georgia’s dismay, LSU won. With that, there’s a chance Georgia will be the odd team out. Here’s my BCS projections at 12:30 p.m. Sunday:
BCS Championship Game: Ohio State vs. LSU
Rose Bowl: Georgia vs. USC (the real national championship with the two best teams at the moment? possibly?)
Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. West Virginia
Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Arizona State
Sugar Bowl: Missouri vs. Hawaii
Notes and thoughts: Two things: Don’t be surprised if Georgia gets snubbed in the Rose Bowl to Illinois, which in my opinion, would be absolutely horrible. USC-Illinois would be the worst game of the bowl season, but the Rose Bowl committee was looking forward to a Big 10-Pac 10 matchup. Let’s see if they decide to take a legitimate team over tradition.
There are some media pundits saying Kansas might play Oklahoma in the Fiesta, which would move the last at-large to the Sugar Bowl. Two teams from the same conference playing in the same bowl is not good for college football. I refuse to believe it. I also think Missouri deserves to go to a BCS game over Kansas. How can you demote Missouri for losing to the same team twice after beating Kansas on a neutral site?
What a wacky weekend this turned out to be.
You could have given me a million dollars to bet on Pittsburgh and I would beg you to put it in a mutual fund instead. Now the national championship race seems to be up for grabs. However this may turn into a popularity contest like last year, when No. 4 Florida jumped No. 2 Michigan, and unfortunately for the Georgia Bulldogs, this may go against them.
In some degree it is Georgia’s fault that it didn’t play for the SEC Championship. Beat South Carolina at home and the embarrassing loss to Tennessee is a non-factor. However, only USC can compare with the Dogs right now as the nation’s hottest team.
LSU looked unimpressive last night and, honestly, got lucky on a poor read and throw from Erik Ainge that was returned for six. Keep in mind, this is a defense that couldn’t stop unranked Arkansas in the red zone a week before. However, LSU has what Georgia doesn’t and that’s an SEC Championship. And that holds a lot more weight in the pollsters minds.
So here we are. Hours away from the BCS Selection Show. Who is it going to play Ohio State in the national championship? Georgia or LSU (I’m assuming Virginia Tech is nixed from the conversation as it should be and that Oklahoma has too big of a hill to climb)? Here are the pros and cons for both:
Georgia: Pros: The Bulldogs are arguably the hottest team in the country. Georgia has won six in a row including wins over Florida, Auburn, Kentucky and Georgia Tech. Knowshon Moreno has turned himself into a potential Heisman candidate for next season and the offense is as balanced as I’ve seen since 1992. Georgia’s last loss was to Tennessee in Knoxville during the first week of October and the Vols had a bye the week before. Because of that loss, Georgia lost a tiebreaker in the SEC East, allowing the Vols to go to the SEC Championship instead. An argument can be made that if Georgia goes to the SEC Championship, it beats LSU. Also, why punish Georgia this late for climbing back this high into the rankings. If it were the middle of the season Georgia would be sitting at No. 2.
Cons: Georgia did not make it to the SEC Championship and doesn’t have the ring to show for it. The Bulldogs were embarrassed at Tennessee and lost at home to a South Carolina squad that finished 6-6. How can you put one team in the national championship when it didn’t win its conference, while another from the same conference has the same record? Fact is, you have to win when it counts and Georgia didn’t do it against two teams it should have beat. The entire season’s body of work must be taken into accountability and Georgia’s two losses are not good losses.
LSU: Pros: LSU is the SEC Champion. The Tigers may have two losses but both were in triple overtime in the best conference in football. LSU just won the SEC Championship with a backup quarterback that only started one game this year. LSU’s defense, while shaken at times this year, came through big. The reason its defense suffered in run support against Arkansas was because Glenn Dorsey was hurt. Defense wins championships and LSU’s defense - when healthy - is one of, if not the best, in the country. LSU also has a 48-7 win over Virginia Tech on its resume.
Cons: This team lost to an unranked Arkansas team the week before. In every sport, collegiate or pro, it’s about how you finish. LSU lost its regular season finale, but since LSU was the only team in the West to lose two games and clinched the spot before the Arkansas game. LSU needed an incredible pass from Matt Flynn as time ticked down against Auburn to beat them. Les Miles can be aggressive - too aggressive sometimes, and if the Tigers don’t score and time runs out, Les Miles and LSU look like a big joke.
Who do I take?: Georgia, and it’s not because I go to school here. If there is no SEC Championship game, like in the Pac 10, Big 10 and ACC, then Georgia is co-champions with Tennessee and LSU. There needs to be some consistency in this system - either all conferences have a championship game or all don’t. It’s not fair to Georgia that Ohio State doesn’t have the same opportunity LSU was blessed with.
It doesn’t matter who I would take, so who goes? LSU, and it will be the same way it played out last year. Georgia sat at home and had to wait while the nation got to see LSU win a conference title. That will be fresh on the voters minds and LSU will edge out Georgia and play Ohio State in the national championship.
The Bulldogs pulled through with a 31-17 victory against GA Tech on Saturday, Nov. 24, 2007 despite the cold weather. Can anyone say bowl game? I can.
Photo by Sara Guevara
Flanker Michael Moore and quarterback Matthew Stafford celebrate Stafford’s touchdown in the second quarter in a game against Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Ga., Saturday, Nov. 24, 2007. Georgia won 31-17.
Photo by Sara Guevara
Fullback Brannan Southerland is tackled by cornerback Jahi Word-Daniels after catching a pass in the first quarter Saturday, Nov. 24, 2007.
Photo by Sara Guevara
Fullback Shaun Chapas carries up the middle during the fourth quarter Saturday, Nov. 24, 2007.
SARA GUEVARA
Placekicker Brandon Coutu and holder Brian Mimbs pet Uga VI before kickoff in a game against Kentucky Saturday.
SARA GUEVARA
Tailback Knowshon Moreno rushes for 8 yards to the 36-yard line before being tackled by defensive end Dominic Lewis for a first down during the second quarter.
SARA GUEVARA
Wide receiver Keenan Burton is tackled by University players at the 31-yard line during the second quarter Saturday.
So if anyone stayed up and watched the Oregon-Arizona game last night you would see that the Ducks are a completely different team without Dennis Dixon in the lineup. It’s sad that he got injured because he is by far the best collegiate player in the nation and if he can’t go in the Ducks’ next game he may kiss his Heisman goodbye. Oregon’s loss, believes it or not, makes things very interesting for Georgia, who I think is the hottest team in the nation. I was talking to a friend last night and we discussed what needs to happen for Georgia to sneak into the national championship. Here is the ridiculous scenario:
Texas Tech beats Oklahoma this weekend
Michigan beats Ohio State this weekend
Missouri beats Kansas next weekend
Oklahoma beats Missouri in the Big 12 Championship
Cincinnati or Connecticut beats West Virginia this or next week
Vanderbilt or Kentucky beats Tennessee
Georgia beats LSU in the SEC Championship or LSU somehow plays its way out of the SEC Championship, but Georgia still wins it.
Georgia is sitting at No. 9 in the BCS. Arizona State losing would help but not necessarily. If those things play out in that fashion, Georgia would most likely play Arizona State or Kansas in the title game. Arizona State is more likely if they don’t lose because if Kansas loses the human voters will likely punish them for its easy schedule.
The probability for that to play out has to be 100,000,000 to 1 but with the way this season has played out I wouldn’t be shocked.
Here is how I see the BCS bowls projecting as of now:
BCS National Championship: LSU (No. 1) vs. Oregon (No. 2)
Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech (ACC Champ) vs. Missouri (At-large)
Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma (Big 12 Champ) vs. Boise State (At-large)
Sugar Bowl: Georgia (At-large, but SEC) vs. West Virginia (Big East Champ)
Rose Bowl: Ohio State (Big 10 Champ) vs. Arizona State (At-large, but Pac 10)
Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to slowly move the percentages up, like my plan initially. I was going to go from 65 to 75 and so forth to build up suspension but I worked Friday night and then began the pre-game festivities that many Georgia students take a part of.
However, about the blackout, I will say this:
I was told about a month ago that it would be for the Kentucky game and that only the seniors knew. Obviously, after Richt’s comments after the game, it was clear the seniors did in fact plan it for Auburn. It makes more sense since Auburn is a bigger game, a rivalry game and one that isn’t traditionally won at home for either team. Having the fans black it out waiting to see if the players blacked it out was truly a special moment inside the stadium. Richt is a pure genius by not divulging the secret and not saying no at the same time.
The column I wrote Friday about the jerseys received some interesting responses, so I would like to respond. If the fans blacked out Auburn and the team came out in red, the fans would not have generated the response they did. I guarantee it. I wrote the column knowing they were going to wear black but without the official word from Richt or Claude Felton. Simply, the opinion I was trying to get across was that if Georgia wanted to do it, they could, so don’t buy into Richt’s comment from earlier in the week, and that it would inspire the crowd to be as loud and as crazy as they have ever been by witnessing a historic event - yes, it is that big of a deal in my eyes. My intent was not to be a UGA public relations representative, but to paint the image of what it would be if the Dogs came out in black.
With that aside, it might be a while before we see something like that again, so those that were at the game, be thankful.
On to other items:
Kansas - are they legit? Yes, and no. If somehow Kansas runs the table against a somewhat surging Iowa State team, Missouri and Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship then they should jump one of LSU and Oregon and go to the national championship as long as they are undefeated, and assuming LSU and Oregon win out. Will Kansas? Probably not, but it would sure stir up some more BCS mess in an already disfunctional college football season.
Georgia - Right now, Georgia might be playing the best of any team in the nation. They have put up 42, 44 and 45 in three straight weeks, respectively, and have been playing with a passion I have never seen. You have to wonder where this team was in Knoxville when Tennessee shellacked and manhandled the Bulldogs. But as of now, you have to think that they could give LSU a great game and beat all three of the Big 12 teams in the BCS top 5. Oregon, well, it might be the best team in the nation - even with its fluke of a loss against Cal.
South Carolina - What a collapse for the ol’ ball coach, huh? At one point South Carolina looked to be in the driver’s seat for the SEC East and then they have all but choked it away. Losses to Vandy and giving up five rushing touchdowns to a quarterback is not going to sit pretty with the alumni - no matter who you are.
Heisman Trophy: 1. Dennis Dixon (QB, Oregon), 2. Darren McFadden (RB, Arkansas), 3. Glenn Dorsey (DT, LSU), 4. Chase Daniel (QB, Missouri), 5a. Michael Crabtree (WR, Texas Tech), 5b. Graham Harrell (QB, Texas Tech)
Georgia fans have come to know the annual Georgia-Auburn game as the game with the home team disadvantage, however Georgia bucked the trend this year and outscored Auburn 45-20.
This game also marked the first time Georgia has worn a black jersey since 1942. The occasion? The “black out” called for by Georgia seniors. Coach Mark Richt dodged the question all week, but the giveaway was when everyone’s favorite bulldog, Uga, came out on the field wearing a black Georgia sweater.
Photos by Josh D. Weiss
Thomas Brown makes his way down field during a 53 yard run in the third quarter.
Thomas Flowers picks off a pass by Auburn quarterback Brandon Cox. Cox threw four interceptions against Georgia’s one.
Photos taken by Lindy E. Dugger
Hairy Dawg crowd surfs through the student section after Knowshon Moreno’s third-quarter touchdown that put Georgia ahead 24-20.
Tailback Jason Johnson dances with teammates at the end of pre-game warmups on Saturday afternoon.
Georgia’s Sean Bailey leaps over Auburn’s Jonathan Wilhite to catch a 13-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Matt Stafford early in the second quarter, putting Georgia ahead 16-3. Georgia went on to win the game 45-20.
While my editorial advisor for the Red & Black has had enough with the whole black jerseys thing (I love you Ed but agree to disagree, huh?), I have reason to believe the Bulldogs will be wearing black tomorrow.
While Richt would only say to refer to previous comments yesterday, what I am hearing is that you will see Georgia in black uniforms. The rumor - and I call it a rumor because I cannot get offical verification for this within the athletic department - is that Georgia will warm up in red and then come out in black. It should be interesting and it will be a cool sight if the fans and the team together are blacked out since Georgia has never worn an alternate top (they have done the pants thing - see my column in today’s paper).
However, I am pretty confident and will put a percentage on this. I am 65% sure the Bulldogs will wear black tomorrow.
I will say this and update more later: I was under the impression the Bulldogs were going to do this for the Kentucky game, but the seniors moved it up. That’s all for now, check back later.
On Saturday Georgia played Troy in their homecoming game. Alumni cheerleaders and band members came out to support the Bulldogs. After a tenuous start, the Dogs secured a victory against the Trojans. Last year Georgia lost its homecoming to SEC rival Vanderbilt.
Troy had the potential to upset Georgia coming into the game with a 6-2 record (both losses came at the hands of SEC schools). The Troy defense created turnovers on the first two Georgia offensive plays, although Georgia broke the streak with a touchdown run on its third. Georgia regained control of the game and pulled away just before the half.
Photos and a few word by Josh D. Weiss:
Homecoming for Georgia is usually one of the least attended games of the season. However, I was surprised and pleased to see an almost full crowd this go round.
Photos by Kelly Wegel
I love these guys, and they stayed til the very end. Most fans filed out once Georgia had a strong enough hold. Bummer.
Bill Dunaway, a UGA cheerleader from 1958-1961, leads fans in a cheer remembering a fellow cheerleader.
Knowshon Moreno ran an insane amount. I have been partial to no. 4 Sean Bailey, but Knowshon has become one of my favorites. Every time I couldn’t quite see the ball, I just looked for the 24, and sure enough, he had it.
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