Georgia punches ticket to Orange Bowl to take on Florida State
Georgia is not headed to the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2020. It learned its postseason fate on Sunday and after the Bulldogs’ 27-24 loss to Alabama, snapping an SEC record 29-game win streak, the Bulldogs are headed to the Orange Bowl where they will square off against Florida State. UGA is the No. 6 team in the College Football Playoff rankings.
Brett McMurphy of The Action Network was the first to report and DawgsHQ has confirmed. The Orange Bowl is scheduled for January 30 at 4 p.m. ET and will be aired by ESPN. Michigan, Washington, Texas and Alabama, in that order, all made four-team playoff. The Bulldogs and Seminoles will play for the 12th time with Georgia winning six of the previous 11. There was one tie and FSU has four all-time wins against UGA.
It’s a letdown for the Bulldog nation after back-to-back National Championships. Georgia is the first team to accomplish that feat last season when it beat TCU 65-7 in the College Football Playoff final. After the loss to Alabama, Kirby Smart certainly felt like his team was worthy of having the opportunity again.
“Bill Hancock said it’s not the most deserving,’ Smart said. He said, simply, it’s the best four teams. So, if you’re going to tell me somebody sitting in that committee room and doesn’t think that Georgia team is one of the best four teams, I don’t know if they’re in the right profession because it’s a really good football team. It’s a really talented football team. It’s a really balanced football team. So, they have to make that decision, but it’s the best four teams, and that’s critical.”
The 2023 season saw Georgia go 12-0 for the third straight year, but for the second time in those three seasons, the Bulldogs lost to Alabama in the SEC Championship game. The first time that happened was in 2021 and the Bulldogs still got into the College Football Playoff as the No. 3 seed. They thumped Michigan in the Orange Bowl and then topped Alabama in Indanapolis to snap a 41-year National Championship drought.
