No. 5 Georgia lost to No. 15 Texas 28-21 at the Sugar Bowl — a result that should carry a lot of weight because of the blue bloods involved in the classic New Year's Day setting in New Orleans.
It should be a bigger deal than it is. That's part of the problem of the College Football Playoff era. The Bulldogs' loss isn't about the Xs and Os or the fact Texas jumped out to a big lead and looked more engaged in the first half.
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It's about the excuses that comes with a loss like that. And this loss combined all those debates that have tested the meaning of New Year's Day Six bowl games in the current college football climate.
They didn't want to be there. Georgia is the second SEC runner-up to lose in the New Year's Day Six the last two seasons. Auburn lost to UCF 34-27 in the Peach Bowl last season, and the loser of the SEC championship game is 4-5 in bowl games this decade. That's the typical go-to excuse in this situation, but it's a weak one.
They had a key player skip the bowl. Sure, All-American cornerback Deandre Baker skipped the game, but that's no longer an excuse either. LSU had more than half its defensive players missing in a Fiesta Bowl victory against UCF, and first-team All-American Grand Delpit was ejected for targeting. Michigan had four starters missing in a Peach Bowl loss to Florida, including first-team All-American Devin Bush. With more players skipping bowls — even New Year's Day Six bowls — coaches and players have to anticipate this happening every year now.
They should have been in Playoff. If your players tweet on the night of the CFP semifinal when Oklahoma and Notre Dame are losing, then you better go out and back it up in the SEC-friendly Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Georgia didn't do that at all.
This was the definition of a flat performance. Texas was up 17-0 after two rushing touchdowns by Sam Ehlinger and up 20-7 at halftime. Jake Fromm opened the second half with an interception. The Longhorns put the game way with a 1-yard touchdown run by Ehlinger with 11:49 left in the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs weren't better than a jacked-up Longhorns team that had not been the national stage on New Year's Day in a while. It showed.
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If you want to say Georgia didn't want to be there, fine. It's still the Sugar Bowl. Against Texas. If that's not big enough, then why even play in a bowl? Florida, LSU, Kentucky and Texas A&M showed up for their matchups, and none of those teams was in Atlanta for the SEC championship.
If you want to say Georgia should have been in the Playoff, then, well, that goes out the window. The Bulldogs lost their opportunity shortly after an ill-advised fake punt led to the game-winning touchdown for Alabama in the SEC championship game. Georgia had two losses. No team has made the College Football Playoff with two losses — not even from the mighty SEC.
This loss might not mean much when 2019 rolls around. The Bulldogs bring back Jake Fromm, D'Andre Swift and a defense that lacked experience but brings in another cycle of five-star talent. But this is a lesson Kirby Smart can use to teach a team that has fallen short not just the last two seasons — but since 1980.
This is what happens when you worry more about where you want to be more than where you are: You get beat.
There is no excuse for that.
