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December 2, 2007

Where to Now?


As Jim Donnan would say: "It's chaos with a capital K." (That joke works better spoken.)

For those of you who booked your hotel rooms in Miami, you might want to check the cancellation policy. As of tonight, it looks like Georgia is headed to New Orleans. The open question is the name of the bowl, Sugar or BCS. The Rose remains a possibility, but I think it is a longshot.

So, when will we play in New Orleans? Clearly, it all comes down to the human rankings. I think it is unlikely that the computers move drastically simply based on the handful of games this weekend. Thus, it's the collusion of human voters that may deny us a shot at Ohio State and the national title. The selections, then, come down to arguments advanced and bought by human beings, flawed human beings.

By now, you've heard the boys on ESPN, the coaches, and other websites stating the arguments for and against the Dawgs. As a Georgia fan, of course I think we deserve a spot in the BCS Bowl. We've played a tough schedule that includes four ranked teams and eight bowl teams. More importantly, we are playing our best football right now, not riding the coattails of old performances or preseason rankings. In our last five games, we were dominant, leaving no doubt that we were the best team on the field. Mark Bradley buys this wholeheartedly and says we should get our shot.

With that said, I don't think we will get the matchup with the Buckeyes. Just based on logic, it doesn't make sense that we can be the national champs without being the SEC champs. I didn't think Nebraska deserved their shot in 2001 and the same goes for Oklahoma in 2003. It's just hard to get around that argument. This may sound unjust. But as Mark Richt has said before, if you lose a game, then you subject yourself to the arbitrary whims of the BCS system. The only way to avoid all this mess is not to lose. We can argue until our voices are wore bare, but we cost ourselves a national championship opportunity with a befuddling performance against South Carolina and a beatdown in Knoxville.

My heart says Georgia gets a chance, but my head says we'll be playing Hawaii on New Year's Day. So now we wait. My guess is that something will leak out tomorrow afternoon before the announcement show at 8 eastern on FOX.

Quinton

P.S. Kirk Herbstreit wants Ohio State and LSU. Is there any reason, based on his "journalism" today, that I should pay any attention to anything Kirk says?

17 comments:

Ludakit said...

Not to be a blatant homer, but Richt had the best argument when he said "we were ranked ahead of those guys and the voters knew we didn't have a shot at winning our conference. what's changed so much from then until now?"

Seriously, people need to stop with the "lsu is conference champion" bs. if eric ainge doesn't hand lsu a gift-wrapped win, then we're not even having this discussion.

And I want to find the person that thinks that UGA would lose to LSU if we played right now.

I still think we get hosed, but it sucks for a team that everyone was calling the hottest in the nation earlier today.

Unknown said...

I would love to play for the NC, but would be equally happy to meet USC in the Rose Bowl!!!!!

-GO DAWGS!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

UGA should get to the title game due to the computer ranking. That's my opinion and I am sticking to it.

I also don't see how we drop since we were voted
#4 last week. Hmm.

Ben Rockwell said...

Thanks for working diligently on this tonight. I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve, only I have to be up in a few hours.

Tomorrow will be extra nerve wracking, and the game next year against LSU will be ELECTRIC as a result of tomorrow's rankings.

Go Dawgs! Go Huskies! Playing Hawaii is lose/lose.

BeachGaBulldog said...

We deserve to go to the championship. I don't care what LSU did yesterday. We didn't play them this year and we are ranked ahead of them. There is no way in hell that they should jump ahead.
I know that we are going to get screwed by those idiots on the committee. I don't give a damn what they think, COMMON SENSE says we should play the Buckeyes. #1 vs. #2.
WE DESERVE IT. END OF STORY.

Anonymous said...

aaaand balls hawaii won.

Anonymous said...

Wasn't it Herbstreit who said "The Rose Bowl is just as much about the parade than it is the game?" and was then reminded that Georgia has a band too?

If there was any validity to the BCS then GA would get their shot. But there is no validity to the BCS.

If Ohio State can be in a National Championship game then by God anybody ought to be able to.

"we were ranked ahead of those guys and the voters knew we didn't have a shot at winning our conference. what's changed so much from then until now?"

I would like to see somebody get around that argument.

Anonymous said...

From the website of the Anderson and Hester College Football Computer Rankings (A BCS component poll):

“What are the Bulldogs’ chances of holding off Virginia Tech and LSU? Virginia Tech would actually become more of a threat if LSU loses; otherwise, most poll voters will think twice about ranking, or about continuing to rank, the 2-loss Hokies above a 2-loss Tigers team that pummeled them. On the other hand, if LSU loses, then all of the SEC support will go to Georgia. In either event, Virginia Tech has a shot of catching Georgia, but I don’t think it’s a good one, and the Hokies would probably have to beat Boston College in very impressive fashion to be much of a threat. LSU is the greater threat. In terms of holding off the Tigers, it would presumably be best for Georgia if (1) Virginia Tech beats Boston College (thereby keeping LSU from rising by attrition) and (2) LSU doesn’t rout Tennessee. If either of those two things goes the Bulldogs’ way, I like their chances; if neither does, I like the Tigers’ chances.”

Read that last part carefully Dawg fans…it provides a glimmer of hope!

Anonymous said...

I wonder if Herbie has rewatched his comments from last year when he made his arguement for Michigan (didn't win their conference) over SEC Champ Florida.

JasonC said...

Kirk doesn't want us in the game because he know that we would beat his Buckeyes.

Assuming we don't get in (MNC), who do you pull for? Lame tOSU or punk LSU that jumped us? Or a natural disaster 2 days after we play the Sugar Bowl?

Anonymous said...

I think we need to remember that the bowls and more importantly, the BCS are not there to showcase the best teams and talent. These are profit machines for the corporate sponsors and their ware is a borrowed commodity: NCAA football.

The SEC Championship was not created for the pollsters, sports pundits or desk apes. It was installed to determine the winner of the Southeastern Conference. That’s the long and short of what it means too. And in the case of the 2007 season, Tennessee made it to Atlanta with a worse overall record than UGA because that ‘other loss’ didn’t count towards the SEC record. So… why should the SEC record count against the Dawgs now, going to the BCS NC game?

Yes, we are going to be treated badly, talked about like a retarded stepchild, as if we weren’t hearing any of it. What’s more, the Bulldog Nation will still be expected to respect these people and institutions who have shown us… what? A total lack of that same thing?

Right. We are supposed to just suck it up and be good little puppies.

Sorry. Not me. I’m biting back.

Anonymous said...

"Just based on logic, it doesn't make sense that we can be the national champs without being the SEC champs."

Those are the words of flawed human thinking. Especially since there isn't a rule that states that.

Anonymous said...

Not only does Herbie not want us in, NO ONE in the Big 10(1) wants us there. They know it will just be a repeat of last year. However, as vulnerable as LSU has looked, they know they at least have a shot against them.

We would murder tosu. Plain and simple fact.

Anonymous said...

I understand we didn't win the conferance, but it is not as though LSU had a better conference record tha us. We both played 6-2 football in the SEC, and the only reason they played for the title is because the west was far inferior to the east this year. So yes, we failed to win the SEC, but that doesn't change the fact that we are a better team than LSU.

In the time since we lost to Tennessee, LSU has gone 5-2 (with two last second wins, while we have gone 6-0). OSU, WV, OU, USC, and VT have all lost in that timespan without playing the caliber of opponents we played. Dawgs deserve a shot.

Anonymous said...

All you guys are crazy, yes LSU plays in the weaker side of the division but didn't they play Fla, SC, Ken, and Tenn. We are the toughest team on our side but they played the next for toughest teams from the east. They also beat both teams that we lost to. We do not have a shot at the BCS chamionship. We will whip Hawaii's ass and that will be that! Go Dawg

Anonymous said...

I bleed red and black, but I hold a higher esteem for the SEC Championship than most of you guys apparently do.

No team, Georgia included, should be able to play for the National Title game (in the currently crappy system) without winning their conference.

Now, with a playoff system, of course UGA should get an at-large bid and have a chance to prove it on the field.

Anonymous said...

Come on guys, who thought we were title contenders before two weeks ago. I thought the season was in the crapper after the TN debacle. We should be happy with how far we have come. Beat Hawaii and we will most likely end the season ranked in the top five. Who of us thought that was going to happen this year?

 
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