After two glorious seasons at the height of sport, the Georgia Bulldogs were shut out of the College Football Playoff and have rejoined the hoi polloi in College Football Limbo: bowl season. The Dawgs take on Florida State in the Orange Bowl, Dec. 30 in Miami, a game neither team nor fanbase has much interest in playing.
There was a time when this would’ve been a cause for celebration for both Dawg and ‘Nole faithful. The Orange Bowl was one of the premier bowl games, and an invitation meant you were unequivocally one of the best teams in college football that season. A win meant you might just be named national champion. That’s how it was in the sport for nigh on a century. But college football has changed. For teams that consider themselves part of the game’s upper crust—as both we and Florida State do—anything less than a berth in the CFP is considered a consolation prize.
As unfortunate as we may feel to find ourselves in this position instead of competing for a title, imagine being a Florida State fan. We have the last two national titles to keep us warm, and we held our destiny in our hands when we lost to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. The ‘Noles went 13-0 with an ACC title and were deemed not sufficient to compete for a national championship because star quarterback Jordan Travis had the gall to get injured late in the season.
The prize? A meaningless game between two teams that are shells of what they were at their best this season because of injuries, transfers and NFL opt outs. This will not be the 12-1 two-time reigning champion Georgia Bulldogs vs. the 13-0 ACC champion Florida State Seminoles, but rather a couple teams that sort of look like them if you squint.
On the Georgia side, we are seeing a lot of necessary attrition. So far, at time of writing, 16 Georgia players have entered the transfer portal, with five of those players already finding new homes. I have seen some panic over the sheer number of players transferring, as well as the caliber of player. But this is part of the design. Kirby Smart typically signs more than 25 players in a recruiting class with a scholarship limit of 85. Basic math says some guys have to leave, especially when it’s likely Smart will add some players through the transfer portal.
It also helps that Carson Beck has announced his intention to return for another season instead of jumping to the NFL. That decision shapes the entire complexion of the offseason. He’ll be playing in the Orange Bowl, which will be a huge boon. There’s been no word on whether Brock Bowers or Ladd McConkey will make the move to the NFL, though Bowers is a foregone conclusion to most. There’s also been no word on their Orange Bowl status either, at time of writing, so we’re working with incomplete data when trying to look ahead both to the game and next season.
Florida State’s status is considerably clearer. Though the ‘Noles have had less attrition through the portal, the top of their roster has been decimated by opt-outs for the NFL Draft. WR Johnny Wilson, RB Trey Benson, TE Jaheim Bell and DT Fabien Lovett will all sit out. Star WR Keon Coleman and DE Jared Verse could join that contingent, as well as a few others. We have lost depth, but FSU has lost a plurality of its best players, especially when you add the injured Travis to that mix.
With nothing of value at stake between two teams that are shadows of themselves, and the age of bowl relevance passed, the only thing to play for is preparation for next season. Between an expanded SEC and an expanded CFP, what a season it is shaping up to be. The recently released full schedule features a neutral-site game against Clemson, plus trips to play Alabama in Tuscaloosa and Texas in Austin—both participants in this year’s CFP. We’ve also got to go to Oxford and face Ole Miss, who would’ve made a 12-team playoff, the format starting next year.
A new era in college football is almost upon us. Let’s finish the old one with a win, even if it is meaningless.
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