Why the Georgia Bulldogs Should Be in the SEC Title Game

[SEC]

Originally Posted by TaySC

They have UGA ahead of TN because of alphabetical order..... (That list is wrong because USC finished 4th and KY finished 5th in the East..... head to head, like it or not, does matter.)

As far as UGA finishing ahead of TN in the final polls and going to a better bowl. If y'all do (and it is very possible), then it is simply because TN plays one more game than y'all and would have to lose that game, thus having a total of 4 losses compared to 2.

If, however, TN beats LSU, then they could very well finish the season ranked higher than UGA.

You are correct in that we can go on with this one forever, but my main point cannot be debated..... TN, like USC, beat UGA when it mattered. Fans have no point in trying to use the "co-champion" excuse to try to say they are SEC champs or whatever because your TEAM couldn't take care of business when it mattered the most.

I guarantee you had UGA and FLA finished as "co-champions" that you wouldn't be claiming that Florida should go to the SECCG when they lost to y'all head to head. I guarantee this discussion would be MUCH different.

----------------------------------------------------
:devilflame:THE BATTLE CONTINUES:devilflame:

Obviously neither one of us can let this one go so here we go again :D...

1. "They have UGA ahead of TN because of alphabetical order..... (That list is wrong because USC finished 4th and KY finished 5th in the East..... head to head, like it or not, does matter.)"

Actually I think we are ahead of them because of overall record not alphabetical order but I'm not going to agure over that one.

2. "As far as UGA finishing ahead of TN in the final polls and going to a better bowl. If y'all do (and it is very possible), then it is simply because TN plays one more game than y'all and would have to lose that game, thus having a total of 4 losses compared to 2.
If, however, TN beats LSU, then they could very well finish the season ranked higher than UGA."

Tonight's game only added an extra loss. They would have had one more than us no matter what and beating #5 LSU would still not have bumped them up to #4 or above.

3. "You are correct in that we can go on with this one forever, but my main point cannot be debated..... TN, like USC, beat UGA when it mattered. Fans have no point in trying to use the "co-champion" excuse to try to say they are SEC champs or whatever because your TEAM couldn't take care of business when it mattered the most."

Yes I have agreed the entire time that we did not win when it counted (it hurts me to say that and tempts me to comment on USC's sub par season...but I will try to contain myself). Co-Champion is not an excuse to say we are "SEC champs or whatever" because obviously LSU takes that title. But we TIED in the SEC East. That makes co-champions as stated by the SEC (as you siad yourself earlier). The rules also state that whomever wins in that seasons matchup of the two tied teams, continues to the championship game. I have no problem with this and UT clearly earned their spot in that game. However, division champs are determined by in-conference record not who they beat or who they lose to. That only determines who goes to Atlanta.

4. "I guarantee you had UGA and FLA finished as "co-champions" that you wouldn't be claiming that Florida should go to the SECCG when they lost to y'all head to head. I guarantee this discussion would be MUCH different."

This really has nothing to do with our little discussion, becuase I am not saying that we should be in the title game. All I'm saying is that WE ARE SEC East Co-Champions.


:devil: I'll be waiting for your response....

[SEC]

None so have at it

[SEC]

Originally Posted by TaySC

I thought about that also, but I know for a fact that USC finished 4th in the conference, not 5th where that standings list shows us. Same conference record, beat head to head = finish ahead of that team.



Since LSU won this point is really null and void at this point, but the fact that TN played for the SEC Title, would have beaten the #5 team in the land while UGA wasn't playing and if they went to a great bowl and won, very well could have caused them to pass UGA in the standings. As is, it appears LSU should jump UGA in the polls.



Understand one thing about this.... I am not in denial that we ended up having a bad season. After screwing up the 2nd half of the UNC game, then losing to Vandy, I predicted we would lose out. I think I was one of the few that saw the writing on the wall with the team at an early stage. BUT if you decide to put USC down, then you are only hurting the UGA cause and hopes for a National Title. We beat y'all, so it is best for y'all if USC is a good team, not a bad team.



In the beginning you made out like UGA had as much right to play LSU as did TN. That is just untrue. I think my point here is very valid. It just shows that we are all human and that we are biased towards our own team and likely wouldn't feel the same if it was dealing with any team other than our own.

Where are all your bold and controversial statements? Not much to argue over here.

I thought about that also, but I know for a fact that USC finished 4th in the conference, not 5th where that standings list shows us. Same conference record, beat head to head = finish ahead of that team.

Whatever... :c:

Since LSU won this point is really null and void at this point, but the fact that TN played for the SEC Title, would have beaten the #5 team in the land while UGA wasn't playing and if they went to a great bowl and won, very well could have caused them to pass UGA in the standings. As is, it appears LSU should jump UGA in the polls.

I dont see how #7 (in the BCS) jumps #4 because they beat #14. The BCS will only be contradicting their own rankings by placing LSU ahead of us. And whats going on with all the UGA bashing on ESPN tonight. Georgia has been playing better than most all of the teams that played today as well as Ohio State who is lucky they dont have to play a championship game and are in a bad conference. UT lost so theres not much to say...

Understand one thing about this.... I am not in denial that we ended up having a bad season.

I'm not in denial that either of our teams screwed up. Again...whatever...

BUT if you decide to put USC down, then you are only hurting the UGA cause and hopes for a National Title. We beat y'all, so it is best for y'all if USC is a good team, not a bad team.

Doesnt really matter anymore. Thats already been taken into account and we have our ranking. Nothing to do now but see where they put LSU.

In the beginning you made out like UGA had as much right to play LSU as did TN. That is just untrue. I think my point here is very valid. It just shows that we are all human and that we are biased towards our own team and likely wouldn't feel the same if it was dealing with any team other than our own.

I never stated UGA should be in the championship game. My whole thing was the co-champion thing. The 1st post was an RSS feed that I did not personally post from a source other than myself. My first physical post on this thread was:

If we had a better start to the season we would have been in for sure. I dont know how we lost to USC (no offense). But obviously this was not the case. To tell the truth, UT should be in the championship game only because they beat us, breaking the tie. I am tiered of hearing them be call SEC East Champs though, when they are really only co-champs sharing the title with UGA.

Go check it out on page one.



Well thats about it for the night. Not a whole lot here to dispute. Need some more fuel for the fire.:devilflame:

[SEC]

If a team is 3rd best in their own conference, then how can they be the BEST in the Nation? We know that at least 2 teams have proven over the course of the entire season to be better than UGA and that doesn't even count other teams from other conferences.

Actually tied for 2nd best in the SEC and if we somehow get in we would be 2nd best in the nation. You have clearly assumed we would win the national championship which is a safe assumption but not necessarily true.:D We never played LSU so who knows if we could beat them. I feel we probably could after seeing them play last night but I'm sure you would disagree. As for other conferences they cant even compete with the SEC.

Now this is not arguing with you but the BCS. You cant rank someone 4th, meaining they are the fourth best team and 2nd alternate for the national title game, and then throw a couple people in front of them. LSU should not move up 3+ spots just for beating #14.

[SEC]

The BCS put us at #4 knowing we would not be in the SEC Championship. If that is such a huge deal why did they not go ahead and put LSU ahead of us instead of moving us up to #4. They are just going to be contradicting themselves.

[raptorcox]

Let's see the BCS standings when they come out and see where UGA is.

[SEC]

http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/...goryId=2564308

EXACTLY what I've been saying (especially around the 1:50 mark).

http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/...goryId=2564308

[SEC]

the SEC is the best CONFERENCE, but that does not mean necessarily that the best TEAM resides in the SEC.

No but its quite likely.

For that matter, it does not even have to mean that the SEC has a top 10 team.

We do and will.

What it does mean is that top to bottom we are more solid than any other conference.

You got that right.

There are numerous teams out there that I personally think are better than any SEC team this year.

You saying that there are numerous team that could beat every SEC team? No way. At least 2 losses for any team that tried that.

Depending upon the week, I can name at least 10 teams that could beat LSU and UGA. AT the same time, I am sure on any given Saturday that LSU and/or UGA could beat all 10 of those teams. There really is no one dominant team in football this year.

Maybe 2...not even close to 10. Please name a few (or all 10).

I still personally believe that LSU and Oklahoma are the best two teams in the country. Ohio State is likely a close 3rd. Then I would say there are 8 to 10 teams that are all right in there battling for 4th best..... one of those 8 to 10 is SoCal.

OSU is more like 5th if you ask me. LSU and Georgia are top 2.

And no, you are not "tied for 2nd in the SEC." There is a TIE-BREAKER in place that ended that "tie," thus y'all fall behind TN in the SEC and are 3rd or 4th.

We're tied. The tie breaker is for the champ. game not determining winner of the East. Same record = tie. UT beating UGA = UT going to championship game. This makes us tied for 2nd in the SEC East. And where did 4th come from? If we are 4th who is 3rd? This isnt predict the standinings. It's all over and we are tied for 2nd.

[Gamec0ck]

Two things:

First, why is SEC sounding like a UGA fan? Someone please point him to his correct board. :)

Secondly, after the championship game, when ranking the SEC 1-12 for the bowl positions, it is 1. LSU; 2. UT; 3. UGA, etc.............. Whether you agree with it or not, that is the way it is. As mentioned previously, a bowl does have the ability to select the third place team as opposed to the 2nd place team so it is quite possible UGA gets a better bowl than what is marked down for the 3rd place finish. To be honest, if I am the bowl I would bypass UT for UGA. Still doesn't put UGA as a higher finish or tied with UT for a second place finish.

[SEC]

Georgia has shown it deserves a title shot
http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/7511182

Peter Schrager
FOXSports.com, Updated 2 hours ago

Under normal circumstances, college football polls work in an orderly and fairly predictable matter.

If the No. 1 and 2 teams lose, the No. 3 and 4 teams move up to take their place 99 percent of the time. Which means that Ohio State and Georgia should be making preparations for Jan. 7 and a BCS title game showdown as we type.

But there seems to be a strong sentiment among the talking heads that the Bulldogs should be disqualified from consideration for the title game simply because they were sitting at home watching the SEC title game instead of playing in it.
And that's just wrong. In a college-football world filled with absolute chaos and utter confusion, the 2007 Georgia Bulldogs are the rare rock of clarity. With records, opponents, wins, losses, out-of-conference foes, intra-conference foes, weather, month, national visibility and respectability being analyzed with subjectivity and heated opinion across the country — UGA's the logical team in this mess; the squad of reason.


Undoubtedly the hottest team in the nation over the course of the final two months of this rather bizarre college football season, Georgia entered Saturday's games as the No. 4 team in the BCS rankings. Like Ohio State, they did not lose. And just like the Buckeyes, they should slide up the polls two spots while idle.
If the system settles these arguments on paper as opposed to on the field, then the No. 4 Georgia Bulldogs should move to No. 2 when the previous 1 and 2 ranked teams go down. In a world clouded in grey, UGA's the black and white (or red) option for the No. 2 slot. Want to settle this with numbers, math and science? With reason and objectivity? Then UGA's the only way to go.
And it's not like the 'Dawgs are some charity case, backing into the postseason with a limp. Georgia deserves a trip to New Orleans as much as anybody. UGA finished the season with six straight wins, beat ranked teams both at home and on the road and only got better and better with each passing week, culminating with a dominating performance on their final weekend of the season against Georgia Tech. Of the top 15 ranked teams in the nation (outside of Hawaii), no squad other than Georgia's managed to maintain an undefeated record since October 6th. They've climbed the polls steadily without a peep of discontent from the general public. Why the sudden change of feelings now?
Coach Mark Richt presented his team's case on Saturday night, telling reporters, "Let's face it, going into today we were ranked No. 4 in the BCS. They ranked us there for a reason. They believed we belonged there. Two teams lost ahead of us. Everybody knew going in we were not going to play for a conference championship and still they voted us there. They voted us there for a reason and I don't know why that should change right now."
It shouldn't.
With super-frosh Knowshon Moreno and a healthy Thomas Brown carrying the rock, Georgia has arguably the best 1-2 rushing duo in the nation outside of the Darren McFadden-Felix Jones combo at Arkansas. Add in fifth year senior Kregg Lumpkin to the mix — returning from an injury for the bowl game — and you can make that the best 1-2-3. The passing game's improved dramatically since the 'Dawgs' October 6th loss to Tennessee, and the defense is working on all cylinders. Kentucky averaged 38 points per game in '07; Georgia held the 'Cats to 13 points a few weeks ago. Yes, the same Kentucky that (ahem) beat LSU earlier this season.
In a perfect world, Georgia would have played LSU for the SEC title on Saturday. But they didn't. Why should that matter? There's no rule in college football requiring a championship game for each conference. Ohio State's never won one; nor has USC. Notre Dame, West Virginia, Michigan — nope, nope, nope and nope. Because the SEC is one of the five conferences to have such a game should not be a reason to penalize this Georgia squad. Georgia was the fourth-ranked team in the country — with voters well aware of the fact they wouldn't be playing in said championship game — heading into Saturday. They did nothing to jeopardize that ranking. Why should they be penalized for it now, well after the fact?

So the 2001 Nebraska Cornhuskers and the 2004 Oklahoma Sooners flopped royally in national championship games after failing to win their conference titles. Does that — and should that — have anything to do with this destined and deserving Georgia squad? I'd hope not. Freezing the hottest team in the nation out of the big dance for previous teams' failures is like canceling the freshman ice cream social for the foul play of last year's seniors at the prom. It's not fair. It's not right.
Few would argue that no team in the nation finished their season playing better football than the Georgia Bulldogs. LSU's lost two games since the first weekend in October; Georgia's lost none. When asked about those SEC champion Tigers, Richt was rather blunt on Saturday night, "I think if we'd have played for the (SEC) championship, we certainly believe we could have won the game," Richt said. "Do I think we could beat LSU? Yes." And who could argue with him? USC lost to both Stanford and Oregon since Georgia's last defeat; Virginia Tech fell to B.C. three weeks after; Oklahoma fell to unranked Texas Tech. Even Ohio State lost to Illinois ... at home. If you're going to reward the teams that finish the season looking the strongest, Georgia deserves a gold star. And in this case, even a silver will do.

In the end, options A, B, C, D, E, F and G can (and will) all make viable cases for their right to play Ohio State in the national championship game. From northwestern Virginia to the isles of Hawaii, there will be fans and academic institutions losing their collective breaths doing just that this week. But if you're looking for the cut and dry answer — the sensible, logical and fair case — you need look no further than the team from Athens, Ga.