Georgia goes to Liberty Bowl to play Central Florida...

...and I just can't get excited about it. I called it a "lose/lose" game, to the chagrin of a few "rainbows and sunshine" UGA loyalists out there. And that may be harsh. But I just don't think we benefit as a program, perception-wise, by winning this game.

It's kind-of like the Hawaii game in 2007, but on a much smaller scale. Meanwhile, if you lose, it is catastrophic. People who see the box score or the headline the next day will laugh. I don't think the laugh would be as hard or as deep in the event we lose to a UNC or Pitt. Moreover, I think the national/regional "perception" of beating a BCS team would be more positive. And in college sports - perception is everything. The media and voters decide who plays where based on how a team is perceived - many times they vote having seen nothing but who they played and how much they won by. Recruits look at the state of the program and how the program is perceived. Sure, a win over UNC or Pitt doesn't mean THAT much more than a win over UCF. But every little bit counts, and UGA needs all the help it can get.

And a loss to UCF would be "huuuuge" - as a friend likes to say. I just think I'd rather play any other possible bowl opponent, including UNC and/or Pitt. But at 6-6, we get what we deserve. So, we'll take the X-Boxes for the players, the payout for the school and the fifteen extra practices. And, of course, a win would be great, but mainly because it helps us avoid catastrophe that would result in a loss.

No disrespect to UCF, and I'm not saying we deserved better considering we went 6-6. All I'm saying is that a win in this game doesn't help us much with the fanbase, on the recruiting front, or with the perception from the media. And a loss would definitely be a scar. I just would have been happier with a different bowl game and/or opponent. I've admittedly been spoiled by what we've gotten used to and come to expect from the UGA program over the years. I remember when I was disappointed in going to the Capital One Bowl or Outback Bowl instead of a BCS bowl. Man, those days are a distant memory. But I should be more thankful, I guess. At least we get the 15 extra practices. And at least UCF is ranked (AP only). We can at least add that win to the "wins over ranked teams" column, IF we win.

Another thing about the Liberty Bowl is that it is in Memphis. The Compass Bowl in Birmingham is a "lower tiered" game, but we'd get to play a BCS opponent and the game is only an hour or two from Atlanta. I think we'd get a lot more fans to that game and I think it is a more attractive opponent. Not to mention, we'd be playing on Alabama's soil, which would be better recruiting wise (though not too meaningful). Many bowls are selecting teams, not on merit or record, but rather on which teams send fans to bowl games (see Music City choosing Tennessee over us). I'm guessing we'll have a poor showing in Memphis, which sends a bad message to other SEC bowls in future years.

There, I've said my say... Other interesting things about this game?

1. Quarterback Match-up: One thing to look forward to in this game is the quarterback matchup. Aaron Murray (UGA) and Jeffery Godfrey (UCF) are probably the top 2 freshmen quarterbacks in the country. Godfrey ranks #1 among freshmen in QB rating and yards-per-attempt. Murray is #2 in both categories. Moreover, they both ranked in the Top 10 in the country, overall, in both categories. So...there's that.

2. O'Leary vs. Georgia: Also, many fans will remember that George O'Leary helped lead Tech to 3-game win streak against Georgia from 1998-2000. This Tech team was lead by Ralph Friedgen as OC and Joe Hamilton and George Godsey as the QBs. This is really the only time since the Bobby Ross era that Tech has been competitive against UGA (though the rivalry has, again, gotten close in recent years as Paul Johnson has taken over at Tech). O'Leary beat UGA in 3 of his last 4 years at Tech. So, this is an opportunity for the Dawgs to get a little revenge.