With roughly 28 hours notice, Georgia’s senior class found out its chance to set the program's all-time wins record is in jeopardy.
Vanderbilt’s decision not to play this past Saturday’s game may inadvertently have a negative consequence for Georgia. Although the Commodores decided it was in their team’s best interest not to play, the Bulldogs’ seniors, who have won 42 games in the past four years, may not be able to reach the 45-victory milestone.
Entering the weekend, the Bulldogs had three games remaining—Vanderbilt, Missouri, and the bowl game. No game is guaranteed, obviously, but the odds of defeating Vanderbilt and Missouri do seem pretty high. The bowl game would then be the final opportunity to do what no senior class has done in the history of Georgia football.
As it stands, the 2005 and 2009 senior classes hold the record for most wins with 44. The 2020 senior class, to date, is 42-9.
But midday Friday, Vanderbilt revealed it was unable to play due to issues pertaining to Covid-19 and opt outs following head coach Derek Mason's dismissal. At least publicly, no one outside the Vanderbilt program knows what the true opt-out numbers are. There have been rumors and rumblings that the numbers were significant following Vanderbilt’s previous game against Missouri, a 41-0 loss. And if the Commodores were in fact down to around 40 total available players—as Anthony Dasher pointed out in his column—there’s a chance the Bulldogs still won’t be able to play this game on Dec. 19.
Georgia athletics director Greg McGarity wasn’t happy about the situation when he spoke with Dasher on Friday. And in fact, McGarity told The Telegraph’s Brandon Sudge that there is a fear that the game against Vanderbilt ultimately won’t be played.
“If they’ve got that same mixture, those three ingredients still in play, you just worry due to the whole dynamic,” McGarity told Sudge. “We’re hopeful.”
As head coach Kirby Smart mentioned a week ago, if not for the pandemic, this senior class probably sets the record by two or three games. With a limited number of opponents and a potential cancellation, that may not be possible anymore.
If the Vanderbilt game doesn’t happen, that still shouldn’t take away from the accomplishments of this group. And even if the game happens and the Bulldogs lose the bowl game, this group should be remembered for everything it accomplished over the past four years.
In 2017, the Bulldogs won the SEC for the first time in 12 years. They defeated Auburn, avenging an earlier loss that season, and reached the College Football Playoff for the first time. They then rallied to defeat Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl, which had them playing for the national championship for the first time since the 1983 Sugar Bowl. Unfortunately, they lost a thriller to Alabama in overtime. Getting to be one of only two teams to play 15 games, Georgia finished the year 13-2.
In 2018, Georgia finished the regular season 11-1 and earned another berth to the SEC Championship. The Bulldogs led Alabama after three quarters, but the Crimson Tide rallied and upended the Bulldogs to win the conference title. This prevented Georgia from reaching the playoff, although it still marked the second consecutive year that it won the SEC East. The Bulldogs finished the year 11-3.
In 2019, Georgia once again went 11-1 in the regular season, but lost to LSU in the SEC Championship. Unlike the season prior, the Bulldogs took care of business in the Sugar Bowl and defeated Baylor 26-14. They finished the season 12-2.
The senior class will finish 4-0 against Tennessee and Kentucky. It will conclude its time 4-1 against Auburn. It will hold a 3-1 record against Florida and South Carolina. It went 3-0 against Georgia Tech, but didn’t get the opportunity to record a fourth win, since the rivalry game wasn’t scheduled this year. The senior class is 3-0 against both Missouri and Vanderbilt. The group also defeated Notre Dame twice in the program’s home-and-home series.
The 2020 season, and quite frankly the year as a whole, has been bizarre, abnormal and frustrating. And it would be a damn shame if the Georgia seniors didn’t get the opportunity to go for 45 wins, especially if the Bulldogs are able to defeat Missouri this Saturday.
At this point, there may be many people who don’t see the point in playing the Georgia-Vanderbilt game. If there's a legitimate safety concern, then that should obviously come first, and the game should be called off.
However, if the game can be played safely, then it should be. Georgia’s players want to play, and you can bet these seniors—absent the chance of playing for an SEC or national title—would love nothing more than to make their mark on the program for generations to come.
