While some members of the Bulldog Nation wait with bated breath to find out where Georgia will go bowling, others—well, at least one poster I recently noticed—declare the Bulldogs shouldn’t even go to the postseason—actually turn down any bowl invitation. The differing mindsets got me thinking of the handful of past Georgia teams that undoubtedly would now reach the postseason but, for whatever reason, did not go to a bowl, although they all perhaps should have.

Beginning just after World War II, when the postseason increased essentially from only the major bowls to bowl games totaling in double figures, the top five instances the Bulldogs just missed out on going bowling—and why:

1954 (6-3-1 overall, 3-2-1 SEC): In what was supposed to be a rebuilding year, Coach Wally Butts’ 6-1-1 Bulldogs seemed primed for not only a Sugar Bowl bid, but an SEC championship, with Auburn and Georgia Tech remaining on their schedule. Alas, Georgia was defeated by the Tigers, but reportedly still had a shot at Sugar, and was a “cinch” for the Gator Bowl if it was to beat the Yellow Jackets. However, the Bulldogs dropped their finale, as well, yet were still in contention to go bowling. Gator Bowl officials announced that Auburn was their No. 1 choice to represent the SEC, followed by Georgia at No. 2. The Tigers’ response was that they would gladly play in Jacksonville but only if a “top-flight opponent from a major conference” was secured; if not, the Bulldogs could have at it. In the end, Baylor was secured, which apparently was good enough for Auburn, and Georgia stayed home during the postseason.

1965 (6-4 overall, 3-3 SEC): Even with a 5-4 record, the Bulldogs were evidently a lock for the postseason—what would have been the program’s first back-to-back bowl trips since 1947-1948. All they had to do was defeat Georgia Tech. The Bluebonnet, Liberty, and Sun Bowls were all interested in Georgia; however, the Dogs would fall victim to when bowl invites were often issued early—sometimes, way too early, like as early as a team still having two games remaining in its regular season. Before Georgia could even face Tech, the Bluebonnet snatched up Tennessee, while the Liberty grabbed a 5-4-1 Auburn team since it had defeated the Bulldogs. Also before playing the Jackets, Georgia announced it was not interested in playing in the Sun Bowl because the Dogs had been there the year before and, more so, the game in El Paso was without a television contract for the next two years. Georgia’s final game of the season wound up being an upset victory at Tech, which was headed to play in the Gator Bowl.

1972 (7-4 overall, 4-3 SEC): Faced with a selection deadline of Saturday, November 18 at 6:00 p.m. (while a 6-4 Georgia team still had Georgia Tech to play and, like before, some schools had two remaining regular-season games), all the bowls seemed settled, except the Liberty Bowl which was scrambling. Finally, Liberty invites were extended to 6-3-1 Tech and 5-3-1 Iowa State—both of which were expected to win the rest of their regular-season games for an envisioned 7-3-1 versus 7-3-1 matchup. Instead, they lost them all, pitting the 6-4-1 Yellow Jackets against the 5-5-1 Cyclones, while the 7-4 Bulldogs had to stay home. Georgia head coach Vince Dooley was somewhat agitated, declaring his team should be in the postseason. This prompted Tech Bill Fulcher to quip about the normally pessimistic Dooley, “Coach Dooley kept saying how bad his team was and how good we were all year long. And, I guess the Liberty Bowl people believed him.”

1979 (6-5 overall, 5-1 SEC): By the end of November, all of the bowl pairings had been settled except two: the Sugar and Fiesta Bowls. And, for Georgia, it was all or nothing regarding a postseason situation the Dogs had no control over whatsoever. Although 6-5 overall, Georgia’s 5-1 conference record was just a half-game behind Alabama. If the top-ranked Crimson Tide was to lose to 14th-ranked Auburn on December 1, therefore giving Alabama a 5-1 SEC mark as well, based on the conference’s then “most recent appearance rule” (‘Bama had played in the Sugar Bowl the year before), the just-above-.500 Bulldogs would be heading to New Orleans, and the Tide to the Fiesta Bowl. Things were looking good for Georgia as Auburn led Alabama 18-17 in the fourth quarter before the Crimson Tide went on an 82-yard touchdown drive to prevail, 25-18, resulting in the Bulldogs going bowl-less. As far as the Fiesta Bowl, it’s backup to what would have been a 10-1 Alabama team was 6-4-1, but nearby, Arizona.

1994 (6-4-1 overall, 3-4-1 SEC): Like previous instances, it appeared like all Georgia had to do was defeat Georgia Tech—a 1-9 Yellow Jackets’ squad this particular year—and the Bulldogs would go to a bowl. The Carquest, Aloha, and Independence Bowls had all expressed interest, and Georgia wound up doing its part, crushing Tech, 48-10. First, expressing reservations as to whether Bulldog fans would travel to Shreveport (ticket sales had been disappointing three years before when Georgia had played there), and because of a controversy surrounding whether Ray Goff would remain as head coach, the Independence Bowl was the first to bow out. Next, also concerned that the turmoil surrounding Goff would affect attendance, officials of Miami’s Carquest Bowl opted for the SEC’s South Carolina although Georgia not only had a better record than the Gamecocks (6-4-1 to 6-5), but defeated them 24-21 in the season opener. Finally, with the Carquest Bowl inviting the Big East’s West Virginia to face South Carolina, it freed up Big East rival Boston College for Christmas Day’s Aloha Bowl. The Aloha's long-term interest in securing a Big East team and concern about whether Georgia quarterback Eric Zeier, who was injured against Georgia Tech, would be able to play in the game gave Boston College the edge over the Bulldogs.