Which playoff team should UGA cheer for to win the national championship?
LSU: This is the easy choice. First, if LSU wins, Bulldog fans can say “we got knocked out of a playoff spot by the team that won it all.” Secondly, LSU obviously is an SEC team, which will further validate the narrative that the SEC is the nation’s biggest and baddest conference. Finally, other than this dirty play from the SEC Championship, what’s not to like about LSU? Coach Ed Orgeron is jovial and smiles a lot, his voice sounds cartoon-like, and he’s created an atmosphere where his players look like they’re having a lot of fun – rather than the ultra-serious and businesslike manners of other top programs. It seems like LSU would be the easy fan favorite for UGA fans.
Ohio State: For UGA fans, supporting Ohio State would be a vote in favor of quarterback Justin Fields, who was wearing the Bulldogs uniform this time last year. There are two things some UGA fans will always wonder: (1) Why wasn’t Fields ever given a fair chance to get significant playing time for the Bulldogs, particularly after the 2018 LSU loss? It’s still confusing. Years from now, when all parties (i.e. former O.C. Jim Chaney, players) are far removed from the radioactive topic, the truth will come out on how it all really went down. (2) I’ll always wonder what was Fields thinking by signing with UGA in the first place after a freshman quarterback had just led the Bulldogs to an appearance in the national championship. Flash forward to now: There was never any doubt about Fields’ elite talent. Given the chance at Ohio State this year, he developed overnight into one of the nation’s top overall players, recently being named as one of the four Heisman finalists — a rare accomplishment as a first-year starter. It’s understandable that some UGA fans may still be upset at Fields for leaving, but it also must be pointed out that three of four playoff teams have transfers as starting quarterbacks. It’s part of the game, and the Bulldogs have also benefitted from transfers (ie, JR Reed, etc.). Fields just wanted to play, and he felt like it wasn’t in the cards at UGA, so he moved on. It’s as simple as that. One final note: Maybe I’ve missed it, but I haven’t ever seen Fields say anything negatively publicly about the Bulldogs or his time there.
Clemson: For some UGA fans, this is the “new Alabama” or the team to hate, especially after Tigers coach Dabo Swinney threw the Bulldogs under the bus with his comments a couple of weeks ago.
Oklahoma: There’s really no reason for UGA to be for or against Oklahoma, other than the fact that the Sooners took the final spot in the playoffs over the Bulldogs. In other words, if the Bulldogs had won the SEC Championship (or had avoided the South Carolina upset), they would’ve been the team in there with Clemson, LSU and Ohio State.
Which team do you support and (more importantly) why, please post it below in the comments?
