Forget moving it to Charlotte…try Greensboro’s Page High School.

So Georgia will play in the Sugar Bowl against Hawaii.

After a 20-year absence, this will be the third sUGAr Bowl and BCS appearance in Mark Richt’s seven seasons at Georgia.

There definitely was the case for Georgia to play in the BCS championship game, but there was the case for several other teams as well. I’m disappointed but not devastated. Naturally we are most disappointed for the seniors who will not get another shot at playing for the title. If we dwelled on the inconsistencies and double-speak that played a part in the final rankings, we’d run out of bits and bytes. It could be worse – we could be Missouri dropping out of the BCS completely after entering the weekend ranked #1.

Georgia and their fans have two choices now:

One – we can mope about the process and the perceived quality of the matchup. That worked out real well for us in the 2006 Sugar.

Two – we enthusiastically give our best effort and support and take care of business as if we were playing LSU, Southern Cal, or Ohio State.

I don’t buy that this game is a no-win situation for Georgia. At the most basic level, it’s an opportunity for our 11th win and another Sugar Bowl title. Even in this relatively high-water era for Georgia football, a BCS bowl victory is nothing to sneeze at. Beyond that, we must consider positioning for next year. A win in New Orleans puts Georgia in all likelihood among the top three at the end of this season and among the top five starting next season. Oklahoma dropped their BCS game with Boise State and began this year ranked around #10. LSU won the Sugar Bowl and started 2007 ranked #2 even after losing the top draft pick. Starting position matters if Georgia plans on being in the national title picture again next year.

Hawaii is a great story this year and will draw a lot of viewers to see if their pass-happy scheme and players can match up to an SEC power. A lot of people seem to think that Georgia is one of the best, or at least the hottest, teams in the nation right now, and they can add to that momentum and carry it on to next season by winning the Sugar Bowl.

A big part of the challenge against Hawaii will be matching their intensity. If you saw the bowl selection show last night, you saw a Hawaii team and fan base genuinely excited by the opportunity. That will carry over to their bowl preparations. Like West Virginia, Hawaii’s not a team you want to get very far behind out of the gate.

Saturday started with Kirk Herbstreit making himself part of the Les Miles – Michigan story.  Herbstreit cited “sources” telling him that Miles would accept the Michigan job with Jon Tenuta joining him as defensive coordinator.  Whether simply untrue or whether the leak forced Miles’ hand, Miles announced at an afternoon press conference that he would remain on as LSU’s coach.  Herbstreit, in a comment during the evening, stood by his sources and speculated that his announcement gave LSU a chance to counter Michigan’s offer or that Miles’ announcement was a “smokescreen” until his real decision could be made.  (Miles has since confirmed that he will return to LSU next season.)

Now on to tonight’s BCS discussion.  Herbstreit was quick to discount Georgia and Kansas, emphasizing that a team that couldn’t win its conference doesn’t belong in the national title game.  He acknowledged that the rules did not require a conference championship, but it would be a requirement if he made the rules.

Say what you will about that, but Herbstreit had no problems campaigning for an Ohio State – Michigan rematch in last season’s title game.  Making the case that the voters should select the two best teams regardless of conference hardware, he dissented when the BCS voters placed the Gators in the 2006 title game.

I appreciate the Gators. They had a great year, and they deserve to be there. It’s just my humble opinion that I still feel that Michigan is the second best team in the country. The voters clearly did not want a rematch.

Does Kirk just make up these rules as he goes? “It’s down to who the two best teams in the country are…forget about who’s played who…who in your mind are the top two teams right now in college football?”

A chance at the national championship is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many programs and coaches.  When it presents itself, there is no choice but to go for it.  Now that the politicking has begun for BCS positioning, Mark Richt has jumped in with both feet tonight with an aggressiveness that befits the team we’ve seen this season.  No matter the outcome of the number-crunching, there is no question that Richt is fighting for this chance for his team.

In a Saturday night media teleconference, Richt touched on several of the points he made on ESPN earlier in the evening.

“I think we are one of the two best teams in the country right now. If the rule stated we had to win a conference championship, then that’s what we ought to do. But that’s not what the rules state.”

He also spoke directly to the SEC champions:

“I think if we could have gotten to play in the championship we certainly could have won that game, yes,” Richt said. “I think we could beat LSU.”

Richt continued to make the case that pollsters should show some consistency from last week:

“We were ranked 4th in the BCS this week for a reason. (Voters) believed we belonged to be there,” he said. “Everybody knew last week that we weren’t going to win the conference championship but they voted us ahead of other people anyway. They voted us for a reason and I don’t see why that would change.”

“Georgia one of the two best teams in the nation today? We were voted No. 4 last week in this doggone thing. Two teams ahead of us lost, so why would that change?”

Mark Bradley also goes to bat for Georgia in Sunday’s AJC, making this key point:

The greater injustice would be for LSU to lose its final regular-season game and then be allowed, on the strength of a seven-point victory in the conference title game, to pass a team that has won its past six. The greater injustice would be for the Tigers to get a third shot to prove it’s No. 1 when Georgia hasn’t yet had one.

LSU has been to the top of the mountain twice and couldn’t hold its footing.  It’s time to make way for another team.

The BCS nightmare scenario actually happened:  Missouri and West Virginia, #1 and #2 in the BCS, lost on Saturday.  Ohio State and Georgia, #3 and #4, look to move into the BCS championship game.  But not so fast – Sunday’s voting should be as interesting as Saturday’s games.

What we think we know:

• Ohio State is probably in the national title game.
• Georgia is very likely among the top four in the BCS and will be guaranteed a BCS bowl.

The question of course is the Buckeyes’ opponent.  Based on Saturday’s results, there are about six teams hoping the polls and computers will place them in the title game:

• Georgia
• Kansas
• Virginia Tech
• LSU
• Southern Cal
• Oklahoma

Mark Richt made Georgia’s case on ESPN after midnight on Saturday.  His outstanding points:

• There is no requirement that the BCS champion must win its conference.  It is an issue that has been voted on and rejected several times.  
• Georgia has beaten seven bowl-eligible teams and played a schedule that included nine bowl-eligible teams.  Georgia has beaten good teams like Florida and Auburn handily, and they held the powerful Kentucky offense to 13 points.
• Voters and the computers placed Georgia #4 and in this position last weekend even after it was clear that Georgia couldn’t play for its conference title.

The case for and against the others:

Kansas:  Still just a one-loss team, but beat no teams of Top 25 quality.

Virginia Tech:  Won the ACC, finished strong.  Lost big to LSU.

LSU:  Won the SEC, lost only in overtime.  Had two reigns at #1 and lost each time.  Had a chance to wrap up a spot in the title game at home against an unranked team last week and didn’t.

Southern Cal:  Pac 10 champs.  Playing as well as anyone, finally healthy.  Awful loss to Stanford.

Oklahoma:  Big 12 champs.  Dominant win over #1 Missouri.  Played poor schedule, lost recently.  Possibly too far back to jump to the title game.

The uncertainty is a fitting ending to a season like this.  Now let’s all take a month off and play a bunch of exhibition games.

There’s a big part of me that wonders if Tommy is looking across the state at a $4 million dollar 6-6 coach of a program he’s beaten six straight times and thinking that the price of 7-in-a-row has just gone up a bit.

While we’re on the subject of coaches, is Randy Edsall the next Bill Lewis about to turn his first winning season in three years into Tech gold?

SI.com asked some Georgia and Ohio State players what they planned to do this weekend, and Georgia senior Marcus Howard used a term that I hope will stick.

"I’m going to just be doing what everybody else on the team is going to be doing," Howard said. "We’re going to be glued to the TV, just watching the games hoping West Virginia lose and Missouri lose so we get a shot at that natty."

That’s a step up – most college students plan their weekend around a case of Natty Light.

Some things can only happen in Alabama, and for that reason it hardly raises an eyebrow when they do happen.

Tuscaloosa News sports editor Cecil Hurt is in a bit of hot water for a $4,000 loan application that was cosigned by Alabama booster Ray Keller. Keller is no run-of-the-mill small booster – he was named directly by the NCAA when they announced sanctions against the Tide earlier this decade, and he is currently suing the NCAA for defamation. The details of this loan application came out as a result of that case.

Hurt has covered UA athletics, primarily football, men’s basketball and baseball, since 1982 according to the Tuscaloosa News. Executive Editor Doug Ray explains the heart of the matter:

As our lead columnist and reporter on UA sports, he also is very influential within collegiate sports in Alabama. That elevates the importance of maintaining independence from his sources and the institutions he covers.

Hurt denies that the relationship influenced his coverage, and I have no evidence to argue otherwise. Still, not exactly a rock of journalistic credibility.

I usually treat as noise complaints by the BCA about the lack of minority (read: black) head coaches. But at the risk of sounding like Terence Moore, even I thought these quick, one-man searches at Texas A&M and Ole Miss smelled a little funny. At least the schools could have pretended to go through the motions of a proper search.

To get away from the issue of race, is it wise for these programs to conduct brief “searches” that consisted of a flip through the AD’s Rolodex? Both schools are replacing what turned out to be pretty poor hires. Forget that they didn’t interview minority candidates. How about that it didn’t take either but a few days to dive headfirst into the coaching recycling bin?

Put another way, are Ole Miss and A&M fans convinced that their administrations took enough steps to find the right answer at head coach? There are millions of dollars at stake in these decisions. I don’t deny that even thorough and drawn-out searches can produce some pretty awful results, but processes like these only give groups like the BCA more standing.

You can’t blame Les Miles for being a little snippy this week. How many teams get a second chance when it comes to the national title? Not many get a third.  Miles is a bit upset that Georgia stands a better chance than LSU of making the national title game even if the Bayou Bengals win the SEC this weekend.

“I certainly think the champions in that position should be allowed every opportunity to play in the most prestigious bowl and certainly be the highest ranked,” Miles said. “I would like to envision an opportunity for the team from Louisiana that, if fortunate enough to win the conference championship and who played the schedule that we did with the victories that we’ve achieved and not lost a game in regulation yet, to have that opportunity.”

You’ve got to love the spin. His Tigers are certainly tops in the Regulation Championship Series standings. I understand and accept the sentiment that a conference title should be a requirement for the BCS championship participants, but it’s not – even though more and more people think it’s OK to change the rules on the fly.

If all this sounds familiar, it should. Miles has been positioning and campaigning for his team since the summer when he stood on the shoulders of the SEC to take shots at Southern Cal’s schedule. Alas, the dream matchup between USC and LSU won’t happen, but Miles is still leaning on his schedule to make the case for his team now that the results of the season aren’t on his side.

The irony is that LSU handled (barely) the “stiffer competition” at the top end of the SEC in 2007. Auburn and Florida were nice wins. LSU’s two losses came at the hands of a pair of teams at or below .500 in SEC play – teams that Miles probably would have mocked Southern Cal for playing.

Back in July when Miles was making his case, Stewart Mandel had a perceptive angle on Miles’ strategy: CYA.

Yep. That’s right. Miles’ comments were one big excuse-in-the-making. He’s seen the prognostications. He knows the experts are projecting a USC-LSU matchup. He knows his fans are foaming at the mouth for just such an outcome. And he’s trying to diffuse those expectations — and temper the possible letdown — by saying, “Hey, I’d love to play USC, too, but if they get there and we don’t, it’s because we had to play Florida while they got to play Stanford.”

Miles’ ridiculous “haven’t lost in regulation” line is just more of the same: CYA. Since October 1st, the BEST DEFENSE EVAR (werewolves, chainsaws, etc.) has given up at least 24 points in every conference game. LSU has won several big games this year, but reputation-wise the case could be made that they are still coasting on the first three games of the season. Even a one-loss LSU team would be far and above ahead of Southern Cal and Georgia right now regardless of schedules. The tough schedule and close games are a convenient crutch for Miles, but one wonders what he’d use for an excuse in Ann Arbor.

I really want to like LSU. I was fine with them as the standard-bearer for the conference and thought they’d make a proper national championship contender. They have a silly amount of talent, playmakers all over the field, and enough heart to win a lot of close SEC games – some in which they had to overcome a late deficit. But wouldn’t it be something to see them lose in overtime again this weekend and keep that all-important regulation streak alive?

pwd is on top of our bowl fortunes, and I can’t disagree that a trip to the Orange Bowl against the ACC champion is probably our most likely destination.  But he mentions that the Rose Bowl is another possibility, and that news has Georgia fans rightfully excited.  Georgia hasn’t played in the storied Rose Bowl since 1943 where they beat UCLA 9-0.  Charlie Trippi ran for 130 yards on 25 carries, and Frank Sinkwich put the game away with a touchdown run despite an injury.  Short of a national title, I could think of no greater possibility in the twilight of Larry Munson’s career than his first trip to The Granddaddy of Them All.

First, the details:  Southern Cal needs a win over UCLA this weekend to clinch the Pac 10 title.  That seems likely, but no one expected the UCLA upset last year either.  Ohio State is the Big 10 champion.  Traditionally, those two teams would meet in the Rose Bowl.  A Missouri loss in the Big 12 championship game would move Ohio State to the  BCS Championship Game, and the Rose Bowl would have to replace the Buckeyes with another BCS at-large team.  So why not Georgia?

On the surface, a SoCal – UGA Rose Bowl matchup would seem to be fantastic for all involved. Though I admit my Georgia bias, I’m not sure if another BCS bowl, even the national title game, could produce a more compelling pairing. These are two programs dripping with tradition playing good football at the end of the season. SEC vs. Pac 10. What’s not to like? Of course it can’t be that simple, and it isn’t.  How could 9-3 Illinois get the nod instead of 10-2 Georgia?

You remember Big 10 commish Jim Delany. We’ve discussed him here before. He’s been called “the most powerful figure in college athletics.” Delany helped to secure some relevant concessions for the Rose Bowl in the current BCS arrangement:

• The waiving of a $6 million BCS entry fee.
• A separate and extremely rich (eight years, $300 million) television deal with ABC. All other BCS games – Sugar Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl and BCS championship game – are broadcast on Fox.
• Favored status in the team selection process that encourages the Big Ten vs. Pac-10 matchup that features the kind of tradition-rich, major-market powerhouses, such as this year’s Rose Bowl participants Southern California and Michigan, that almost ensure high television ratings.
• An escape from ever having to select a non-BCS conference team such as Boise State, which despite its Fiesta Bowl heroics this year is a potential ratings and revenue risk for a bowl game.
• Exclusivity to the coveted late afternoon New Year’s Day time slot.

“It’s a matter of independence and control,” Delany said.

Control indeed. Illinois is hardly “tradition-rich” next to a program like Georgia, but they are a major-market team. The Big 10, like any conference, wants two teams in the BCS, and I expect Delany to do everything he can for that additional $17 million.

Right now, Illinois isn’t even eligible for the BCS. That could change this weekend, and all it might take is a Tennessee loss to LSU. Should the Fighting Zooks end up among the top 14 in the final BCS standings, the power play could be fascinating to watch. In one corner is Jim Delany. In the other is the SEC, certainly with plenty of clout of its own. In the middle is one of the most valuable and recognizable events in all of sports. Then there’s ABC with its investment in the game.

Let me clarify that I don’t blame Delany. It’s his job to represent the Big 10 and its membership. It’s not his job to worry whether the Rose or any other bowl has the best possible or most interesting pairing of teams.

I see a lot of excitement not only among the fans but also coming out of Athens for the possible Rose Bowl bid. I just hope we don’t set ourselves up for disappointment. Bowl success seems to depend so much on attitude. There’s no way to prove a correlation, but I’ve seen the Dawgs drop two bowl games (2001 and 2005) where the players and/or fans were less-than-pleased with the bowl or the opponent.

Less than two months ago we were scoping out 1-star motels off the exit ramp in Bossier City, La. in anticipation of an Independence Bowl bid. It seems unthinkable that people could be let down by getting “just” an Orange Bowl bid, but that is a vibe I get underneath the excitement of the Rose Bowl possibilities. Earning a spot in the BCS, regardless of the destination or opponent, means a big-time game in the national spotlight against a quality team. It is also a chance to position the program for the next season. I hope we – both team and fans – fully embrace whatever opportunity we get and just play ball.

UPDATE:The AJC’s Tony Barnhart weighs in today on Georgia’s Rose Bowl chances and recognizes the very real possibility of Illinois getting the bid.

Kyle described my feelings exactly. Only rarely (think 2002) has a win over Tech been more joy than relief for me. It’s a game that means so much to me that every imperfection gets magnified. Only a glaring drop on Tech’s first possession kept their weak passing game from hitting a home run – something we just couldn’t have. The special teams miscues were uncharacteristic and dreadful. What were we thinking? Stafford started 5-of-13 and threw one right at Adamm Oliver which was fortunately dropped.

But Georgia proved to be better than their mistakes. For all of the imperfections, the Dawgs put up 31 points and 432 yards of offense. Georgia had averaged 16 PPG against Tech since 2004. The defense did it again and all but shut down Tech in the second half. Stafford’s passes went from dumbfounding to astonishing. Even Georgia’s mistakes provided opportunities to shine: Knowshon Moreno’s recovery and hustle after a botched lateral cost Tech a touchdown (and a serious momentum shift).

Tech’s defense lends itself to a lot of ugly offense with just a handful of opportunities for big plays. Georgia has had the ugly offense part down for several years, and they hadn’t been much in the big play department. I noted last week that Georgia had a single play longer than 20 yards in last year’s 15-12 win. This year Georgia was better able to capitalize on those big play chances. On each of their four touchdown drives, the Bulldogs had a play of at least 30 yards. They were able to connect through the air to both Massaquoi and Bailey, and Brown also contributed a few long gains on the ground.

Credit to Bobo for sticking with the running game. Even with Moreno’s frustrating day and Tech’s constant harassment behind the line of scrimmage, Georgia was able to break a fair number of plays as the game wore on. Though Stafford’s ability to hit some passes downfield was significant, generating over 200 yards on the ground paid dividends late in the game. ABC noted how Georgia was able to keep up a steady rotation of defensive players throughout the game, and Tech had no such luxury especially with Oliver hurt.

After a few days for it to soak in, this was a much better win than I thought at the time.

Thomas Brown

Georgia hadn’t managed over 106 yards rushing as a team against Tech since 2002. Brown had the most impressive day by a Bulldog against the Yellow Jackets since Verron Haynes went for 207 in 2001. With 706 yards on the season, Brown now has 2,573 career rushing yards. He needs only eight yards to pass Kevin McLee for fifth place on Georgia’s career rushing yardage list. Moreno is definitely a key to the success this season, but Saturday was the hometown senior’s chance to shine.

Coaching

A pivotal, if not the pivotal point in the game came at the end of the first half, and it centers around a coaching decision which might ultimately cost Chan Gailey his job.

Georgia had just scored but missed the extra point and led 16-14. Tech quickly got the ball inside the Georgia 40 and, with two timeouts remaining, seemed to be in a position to at least get a field goal and go into the locker room with the lead. Tashard Choice had become increasingly effective in the second quarter, particularly when taking the direct snap. Surely with two timeouts a few runs by Choice could get the ball inside the Georgia 30 and have Tech in a spot for a reasonably certain field goal. The Tech offensive coaches outfoxed us all and called for three consecutive passing plays. The first two were incomplete, natch. The snap of the third was mishandled by Bennett, and he was sacked and injured diving on the loose ball. Instead of a likely go-ahead field goal, Tech actually lost yards on the series and came up just short on a 62-yard field goal attempt. Georgia kept the lead, and they wouldn’t surrender it in the second half.

As much as I have a problem with sports columnists capriciously playing off-with-their-heads when real careers and lives are involved, this was one clear example where coaching mattered and let the Tech team down.

UPDATE: Well, Gailey is out now. On one hand, he did lose six straight to Georgia. On the other hand, I’m mostly serious when I say that six straight bowl bids, winning seasons, an ACC divisional title, and a relatively clean program is likely going to prove to be a tough act to follow. Was this move Georgia firing Donnan or Ole Miss firing Cutcliffe? Tech fans probably have these two questions, and you can debate the order of importance: 1) who’s the next head coach, and 1.0000001) what does it take to keep Tenuta if he’s not the next head coach?

Individuals

• Southerland was instrumental in so many key plays. I hope to have one of them up later.
• As much as we wanted a shot at the national title, I’m not sure I would have liked our chances with an injured Brandon Coutu.
• Rashad Jones atoned for a pass interference penalty with a nice leaping interception. After missing a couple of chances earlier in the year, he made a good play on the ball. He also got a little talking-to after a personal foul penalty for removing his helmet. There’s no question that Jones will be a solid member of the secondary going forward.
• I’m hoping that the next member of the secondary to take a step forward is Prince Miller. He’s been picked on more than anyone this year. It’s no sin for a sophomore cornerback to have his struggles, but eventually you hope for signs of progress. We got just that against Tech when Miller made a great play to get a hand in to knock away a likely long reception.
• If there’s a tackle for a loss by the Georgia defense, I first look for Curran and Atkins.
• Massaquoi has become as rock-steady a receiver as Georgia has had in years. After struggling with the drops last season, he is money when the Dawgs have to have a catch. I know everyone is already looking forward to the incoming receivers, but MoMass will be the star of the passing game next year.
• Is it just me, or did Georgia run the same 2-point conversion they used against Tech last year? In 2006, Stafford hit the man in motion (in that case, Massaquoi) at the goal line. This time, as the play went right, Stafford found Kenneth Harris back across the grain in the back of the endzone. It was good to see the senior Harris make a play; he had another meaningful catch as well.

Somehow I missed this story about the owner of an Atlanta bar and party bus facing charges for selling alcohol on campus.

I’ll leave the central legal issues for the experts, but this line from UGA Police Chief Jimmy Williamson just couldn’t go without a comment:

Tailgating should be enjoyed by friends and families, not as a profit-making venture, Williamson said.

I’ll remember that the next time I drive by an Athletic Association permit-controlled lot on gameday or pay $20 or more for a spot in a University parking deck.

Mark Richt is calling on Georgia fans to meet the team for an impromptu Dawg Walk on Saturday. By the way, Gate 10 is the southeast corner of the stadium at North Avenue and Techwood (in the same corner where our band usually sits). It’s the first gate you come to if you head over from the Varsity area.

Once again Richt was summoning the Bulldog Nation for support Tuesday. The Bulldogs coach wanted to get the word out that the team would arrive at Gate 10 of Bobby Dodd Stadium at about 1:40 p.m. on Saturday.

"I thought Bulldog fans might want to show up and say hello as we’re getting off the buses," Richt said. "It could be similar to a Dawg Walk. I don’t know if I would call it a Dawg Walk, but fans might call it that."

Tech fans aren’t too pleased. We’re drafting letters of apology as you read this.

It seems a fait accompli that Les Miles will be the top choice for the vacant Michigan coaching job. Michigan has to have a Michigan man. But is getting a favorite son the path to success? Outside of Appalachia, it appears not:

• LSU: Miles (Michigan)
• Kansas: Mangino (Youngstown State)
• West Virginia: Rodriguez (WVa.)
• Georgia: Richt (Miami)
• Ohio State: Tressel (Baldwin-Wallace)
• Arizona State: Erickson (Montana State)
• Virginia Tech: Beamer (VPI)
• Missouri: Pinkel (Kent State)
• Oregon: Bellotti (UC Davis)
• Oklahoma: Stoops (Iowa)
• SoCal: Carroll (Pacific)
• Florida: Meyer (Cincinnati)

On a related note, how do LSU fans feel about their program becoming a stepping stone for job-hoppers? Will the next hire go again for the superstar who might bolt in a few years, or is there someone out there to establish an LSU coaching legacy?