It doesn’t take a football expert or noted commentator on human behavior to understand that sometimes something good can come out of something bad. In sports, occasionally a loss can lead to change —be it a major overhaul or simply some fine tuning— which can lead to championships.
Yes, losing, if you learn from it, and hurt from it, can lead to winning.
The old take a step backwards to move forward.
Vince Lombardi and Sigmund Freud agree.
The last time Georgia played Texas, these two storied programs squared off in New Orleans in the Sugar Bowl, one of the premier postseason contests in the sport. The date was January 1, 2019. It was the third season of the Kirby Smart era at Georgia. The Bulldogs had won the Southeastern Conference championship and Rose Bowl the year prior, then suffered the ultimate heartbreaking loss to Alabama in the national championship game. Following a second straight 11-1 regular season, the third-ranked Bulldogs and top-ranked Alabama met in the 2018 SEC Championship Game. Georgia led 28-14 in the third quarter, then missed a short field goal. Alabama rallied back and topped the Bulldogs 35-28.
Georgia wound up fifth in the final Playoff Poll, and just missed out on College Football’s Final Four for a second straight campaign.
What could have been?
Georgia’s season effectively ended that night in Atlanta.
Even though it was Texas, even though it was the Sugar Bowl, the near miss and playoff snub took the wind out of the Bulldogs sails.
Texas was excited to be there. Georgia was thinking, what if?
Several Bulldog players who opted out or had made transfer plans traveled with the team and didn’t play. There were distractions. Hungry Texas outplayed the Dogs, who played with a passing interest, in every phase and beat Georgia 28-21.
It was a tough night.
It was also a game that led to some fine tuning, and an incredible run of postseason success.
Since that loss to Texas, over the previous five seasons, the Bulldogs are a resounding 7-0 in Bowls/College Football Playoff and national championship games.
It started the following season with a return to New Orleans.
Georgia posted a third straight 11-1 regular season and was ranked fourth heading into the 2019 SEC Championship Game against No. 1 LSU. The eventual national champion Tigers, led by Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow, beat the Bulldogs 37-10. Georgia fell out of the top four to No. 5, and missed out on the playoff by one spot for a second straight year.
Hungry Baylor awaited in the Sugar Bowl.
Smart, already clearly amongst college football’s elite head coaches in just his fourth season, aimed to make sure his Bulldogs would not suffer the same fate as the year prior.
Some policies and practices were adjusted. The football players who wanted to play football for Georgia in the Sugar Bowl made the trip to New Orleans.
It was indeed a different story. The Bulldogs beat Baylor 26-14, finishing 12-2 and No. 4 nationally. Coach King Kirby Smart had cracked a code.
One of the sneaky big wins of the Smart regime came the following year in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl. Jack Podlesny stroked a picturesque 53-yard field goal in the final seconds against Cincinnati to put the Bulldogs on top in a great comeback 22-21. A fantastic kickoff from Jake Camarda following a celebration penalty and Azeez Ojulari safety put the finishing touches on a 24-21 win. It was a terrific ending to the Covid season, a year when everyone faced great challenges. The Bulldogs finished that season 8-2, winning four straight after falling to the Gators in Jacksonville. The mood was substantially better with the victory over the Bearcats. A couple of days later, Jordan Davis and Devonte Wyatt announced they would return for their senior seasons. History would be made.
Georgia posted a perfect 12-0 regular season in 2021 and was the No. 3 seed in the College Football Playoff following the SEC Championship Game loss to Alabama. The Bulldogs dominated Michigan —which has the most wins in college football history— 34-11 in the Orange Bowl. Georgia then famously took down Alabama 33-18 in Indianapolis on January 10, 2022 to capture the 2021 National Championship. Smart’s Dogs were a juggernaut. The defensive line, featuring first round picks Davis, Wyatt, Travon Walker and Jalen Carter (who went the following year) was one of the best in college football annals.
The 2022 Bulldogs again went 12-0, then beat LSU in the SEC Championship Game. The top seed for the CFP, Georgia edged Ohio State 42-41 in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl, amongst the greatest, most star-studded and memorable battles of blue bloods in college football lore. Then came the most impressive rout for a national championship in the history of the game, maybe the best for any title in sports history. Georgia annihilated TCU 65-7 in the National Championship Game in Los Angeles on January 9, 2023. The 58-point margin of victory was 20 points more than the previous scoring margin record of a national championship game, set by Nebraska in the Cornhuskers 62-24 pounding of Florida for the 1995 title. It was back-to-back for the Bulldogs. The 58-point triumph was also the largest margin of victory in bowl history, a mark that would stand for less than 365 days.
Last season, Georgia’s postseason dominance, focus, buy-in and culture may have shown the most. The Bulldogs became the first team ever to post a 12-0 record in a season for three straight years ever. Georgia was ranked No. 1 and had won 45 of 46. The Bulldogs fell 27-24 to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game and fell out of the top four. Florida State went 13-0 and won the ACC title. The Seminoles also fell out of the top four. There were opt-outs (aka quitting) a plenty coming out of Tallahassee as the Bulldogs and Seminoles were slated to meet in the Orange Bowl. Smart’s Dogs were excited, hungry and angry. Georgia mauled the Seminoles 63-3, breaking the bowl margin scoring record the Bulldogs set a season prior. Smart’s Dogs bought in. Though the national championship (I still say the Associated Press should’ve voted the winner of this one No. 1) wasn’t on the line, Georgia played with great passion. Football players hungry to play football on a big stage against an elite foe.
Now we come full circle to Texas and the first SEC battle between two of college football’s biggest names. Smart’s Dogs were amongst the very best the last time these two met. Since that setback, Georgia has set the standard in college football. Now Texas, which was in the playoff a year ago, is on the rise and hungry to arrive where Georgia has been and where the Bulldogs seek to return. That stumble on the climb just may prove beneficial to Georgia’s ascension to the summit of college football.