Comments on: How one man might impact Georgia’s bowl

By: Groo

Groo — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 17:53:37 +0000

I think Brian hits on the key point here: there’s no need to tear down Illinois and their history, but there really is nothing that makes them a more attractive bowl selection over Georgia other than the Rose Bowl’s desire to have a traditional Big 10 / Pac 10 matchup.

By: Brian

Brian — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 15:26:55 +0000

Illinois “tradition” is not even in the same league as Georgia’s, with all due respect to their history. If Illinois gets the nod it will be because of Delany, period. NCT is right on…let’s not forget where we were 2 months ago. It would be wonderful to go to the Rose, but an honor and privilege to go to the Orange Bowl. Go Dawgs!

By: Tom

Tom — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 19:44:14 +0000

The dawgs have 14 conference championships. Two were in the old Southern Conference (pre-curser to the SEC) in 1896 and 1920.

And Illinois has as many conference championships in the last 20 years as we do.

The difference, as you stated, is that UGA has not had many losing seasons. But Illinois has a rich football tradition.

Their tradition is rich and I will not be surprised that if it comes down to us or them for the Rose Bowl, they get the nod.

By: Hobnail_Boot

Hobnail_Boot — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 14:05:10 +0000

Tom-

While Illinois certainly isn’t one of the dregs of the college football world, they also aren’t in Georgia’s league when it comes to the numbers. In fact it’s really not that close.

You are correct in stating that IU has 15 Big 10 titles, but it’s important to note that over half of them (8) were won before the Great Depression and that only 3 of them have been won since JFK was alive. When it comes to their 4 “recognized” national titles, only 3 of them are legit and they all also came before Herbert Hoover took office. They have zero national titles to UGA’s 5 total (’27, ’42, ’46, ’67, ’80) and 2 unanimous titles. Alas, I must note that Georgia has won 12 SEC titles instead of 14.

As far as individual talent goes, it’s also not really that close. While certainly a subjective process, the Heisman trophy is the most widely-recognized individual trophy in American sports. While Illinois has never had a player finish in the top 3 of Heisman voting, UGA has had 2 winners (Sinkwich ’42, Walker ’80), 2 runners-up (Trippi ’46, Walker ’81), and a 3rd-place finisher (Hearst, ’92).

-Illinois’ Memorial Stadium holds 71k while Georgia’s Sanford Stadium holds 93k.

-All-time wins? Georgia ranks #11 (713) while Illinois is #42 (555). Georgia has only played 38 more games.

-All-time winning %? UGA is #13, IU is #69.

By: Tom

Tom — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 18:12:27 +0000

Not sure how you can say that ILL is not tradition rich. They have 15 Big 10 championships, 4 “recognized” national titles and 6 total national titles.

By comparison, UGA has 14 SEC titles, 2 “recognized” national titles and 11 total national titles.

They have every bit the trdition that we do and it will play a role in whether the Rose picks us or ILL if ILL is qualified.

By: Jay

Jay — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 15:38:38 +0000

Regarding the underlying vibe of disappointment in “only” an Orange Bowl invitation: I’m a devoted fan of the Dawgs, and I go to nine or ten games a year depending on which tickets I can get. I feel a little of the “disappointment”, but let me explain. USC has been the class of college football for the last few years. I’d like to see the Dawgs go up against them and hopefully win. It would really make the nation sit up and take notice of what is being built in Athens. A loss would let the staff know just what we need to do to get to that level. Third, the game will prepare the team for the next two years. They will know at what level they have to play, to play for a championship. As for the Orange Bowl there will be no great glory in beating either VT or BC. We beat VT last year, and they were trounced at the first of this year by LSU. (I know teams evolve through the season, but that loss is there.) Should we play BC, no one looks upon them as a great team. If UGA lost to either it would end the season on a down note, and we would be in a funk for a while. A loss against USC provided we were competitive would not have the same effect.

But which ever occurs I’ll be supporting the Dawgs and cheering for them.

Oh, and we haven’t even talked about OU and the Fiesta Bowl.

By: NCT

NCT — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 15:04:22 +0000

Those who would see the Orange Bowl as a let-down need to spend a few minutes meditating on our pre-season and mid-October prospects.

By: Bulldog Bry

Bulldog Bry — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 13:29:10 +0000

Agree wholeheartedly. We should be thrilled to be in a BCS bowl, period.
I understand what you’re saying about Delaney, but he is also a member of a group of six conferences. He needs to consider what would happen if the roles were reversed.