Remember those concerns you read, about how Georgia’s appearance in the Sugar Bowl was going to be a hard sell to fans after the Bulldogs’ loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship?
Well, that thought process didn’t quite hold true.
On the contrary. According to athletic director Greg McGarity, Georgia has sold out its allotment of 15,500 tickets to the Jan. 1 game against Texas.
“You never know. Some thought there might be a hangover after the Alabama game, but our fans have followed this team for the past several years, really the last two years,” McGarity said in a telephone interview with UGASports. “Our students have responded; our donors have responded, and it was really a great sign to see our fans continue to support us.”
For anyone who missed out getting tickets through the school, there’s still some to be had through various secondary markets, including SeatGeek.com and at Ticketmaster.
According to the site, tickets can be purchased on the site from prices ranging from $106 to $534.
McGarity expects even more Georgia fans to flood into New Orleans, despite the fact many also made the trip to Louisiana for the Bulldogs’ game in October at LSU.
“Probably so. Of course, we didn’t have many tickets there, I think we had 6,000 to 7,000 there, but when you’re able to accommodate this many—plus, New Year’s Eve in New Orleans is a world of its own. Then you’re playing Texas,” McGarity said. “It’s been so long since Georgia has been there, it’s given everyone an opportunity to get back to a place that’s very special to our program.”
About that opportunity to play Texas: The Bulldogs and Longhorns haven’t hooked up since the Cotton Bowl following the 1983 season, a game won by Georgia 10-9.
“That certainly helped. You never get to play them,” McGarity said. “Of course, we’ve signed the series with them, but that’s a decade away. All of those things came together, and I really think we’re going to have a great environment there in New Orleans.”
Of course, this won’t be the first time Georgia fans will have hit the road to watch the Bulldogs play.
Last year’s trip to Notre Dame saw legions of Red and Black boosters fill up half of Notre Dame Stadium, with an estimated 40,000 later making the trip to California for the Rose Bowl.
“It’s been remarkable the way people have responded. To look back, if we'd said the day Kirby was announced that you’d be in Year 2, the Rose Bowl, and Year 3 in the Sugar Bowl, some might have thought you were crazy. But they’d say boy, we’d take that right now,” McGarity said. “We kind of achieved two back-to-back New Year’s Day games. And being in the CFP discussion, it’s fantastic. I think our fans appreciate that, and they enjoy watching this team play. That’s the best thing about it—it’s an exciting team that plays a great brand of ball people enjoy being a part of.”
McGarity said he’s not surprised to see the football program take off in such a manner.
“I think you always hope it comes together quicker than what you expect. But it doesn’t surprise me after seeing Kirby and how hard, how passionate he is, and who he surrounds himself with as far as assistant coaches. Things probably happened quicker than a lot of people anticipated,” McGarity said.” But going in, there was no road map. There was no goal of being in a certain level of game after Year 1, Year 2, Year 3. We just kind of took it one day at a time. Certain things happened for us, and here we are in a New Year’s Day bowl, and we’re back in the Sugar Bowl.”
