Jake Fromm was at lunch the Sunday after the SEC Championship when he looked up at the TV inside the restaurant and noticed that the College Football Playoff show was already being aired.

It took just a moment to realize he and his Georgia teammates would not be headed back to the playoffs as one of the nation’s final four teams.

“After the game I had no idea when it was going to be shown,” Fromm said. “I'd gone to church that morning, out to eat, ordered food, looked up, saw the TV, and was like, wow, I guess it’s on right now. I saw that were out of it. It is what it is.”

Fromm would learn later that he and the rest of his teammates with the Bulldogs would be settling for a Sugar Bowl date with Texas, which lost to Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship.

Head coach Kirby Smart was asked if the notion that his Bulldogs having to “settle” for a spot in the Sugar Bowl might work against his squad when it takes on the Longhorns.

Prior to the advent of the College Football Playoffs, it wouldn't have been an issue. The Sugar Bowl has historically been one of the nation’s biggest bowls, one with a rich history. For Georgia, it was the site of the program’s last national championship 38 years ago.

Today, however, making the four-team field for the national champion is now the main focus and ultimate goal. In years when the Sugar Bowl isn't part of semifinal rotation, Smart understands why some feel the luster of playing in the game may be lost to some.

“Yeah. It's been a big topic of conversation for our staff. Traditionalists like me—probably my age and older—see bowl games, the Sugar Bowl in particular, a certain way,” Smart said. “It’s kind of like talking to our players about Herschel Walker. They don't have memories of that. They don't know that. Shoot, our guys don't remember Robert Edwards. You know, it's just very different in a very delicate situation, because you have to make football meaningful and fun.”

Redshirt freshman Eric Stokes seemed to prove Smart’s point when asked if he knew any of Georgia’s previous history in the Sugar Bowl.

“I have no idea about any of that. I’m lost,” said Stokes, who added he knew nothing of the Bulldogs’ last appearance in the game 10 years ago against Hawaii.

“I think of New Orleans,” Stokes said. “I’ve got a person I went to high school with who plays in New Orleans, he says it’s fun out there. I want to see how it is.”

This begs the question; Will Georgia be ready to play?

Left tackle Andrew Thomas says the fact it’s going to be a school steeped in tradition like Texas will certain help.

“It does,” Thomas said. “They’re a great team, so we’re going to have to be prepared.”

Fromm doesn’t see incentive as a problem. He believes Georgia will be motivated to play.

“If you go around and ask the team, hey, is this where you want to be, it’s not, but we’re excited to be here. It’s the Sugar Bowl,” Fromm said. “It’s a really big bowl, so we’re excited, and we'll be working to try and get better. We’re going out to try and win this last football game.”

He says there’s no shortage of reasons why.

“A lot of the seniors, even some of the juniors, they want to play at the next level, so that’s motivation right there. Young guys want to prove themselves, so one way or the other, guys are going to find motivation to play in this game,” Fromm said. “It’s not if, when, or who—everybody’s going to be motivated, everybody’s going to come out ready to play. We’re excited to play a good football game.”

For Smart, it’s all about opportunity. The game can be presented as a kickoff to 2019. “To us, there's a ton meaningful about an opportunity to play another football game, to increase your legacy as a senior class," said Smart. "To be one of those three most winning senior classes to ever come through here. There's value in that. But sometimes, with the senior class, you have to be careful they don't see it like it's punishment.”

Ultimately, Smart doesn't believe that will be the case.

.“It's about a memory, a legacy. It's about winning the Sugar Bowl and being part of something bigger than yourself,” Smart said. “That's what you have to promote: team goals, and these bowls give a ton of kids an opportunity to go somewhere they've never gone, to go to a children's hospital and impact some kid's life. The charitable organizations involved in these bowls are incredible. So it's a fine line for whether it's a benefit or requirement for some of these kids.”