Two wins from a national championship, the Georgia Bulldogs will try to keep their dream season alive Monday against Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl. Here are five things to know about one of the biggest games in UGA football history.
1. When, where, TV
Kickoff of the 104th Rose Bowl is scheduled for 5:10 p.m. (ET) Monday before a sold-out crowd of about 90,000 in Pasadena, Calif. The game will be televised on ESPN.
2. The stakes
The Rose Bowl serves as one of the two College Football Playoff semifinals games this season. The Georgia-Oklahoma winner will advance to the national championship game Jan. 8 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where it will face the winner of the other semifinal (Clemson vs. Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, 8:45 p.m. Monday in New Orleans, also on ESPN). Georgia last won the national championship in the 1980 season, Oklahoma in 2000.
3. The history
The Rose Bowl, nicknamed “The Granddaddy of Them All” as college football’s oldest bowl game, was first played Jan. 1, 1902, and has been played annually since 1916. Rose Bowl Stadium opened in 1922. Georgia and Oklahoma previously have appeared in the Rose Bowl once each, the Bulldogs beating UCLA on Jan. 1, 1943, and the Sooners beating Washington State on Jan. 1, 2003.
4. The teams
Georgia and Oklahoma have not met previously in football. Both have 12-1 records this season. Both are conference champions, Georgia of the SEC and Oklahoma of the Big 12. The matchup of Oklahoma’s high-powered offense vs. Georgia’s stellar defense is intriguing: The Sooners rank No. 1 nationally in offense, averaging 583.3 yards and 44.9 points per game, while the Bulldogs rank No. 4 in defense, allowing 270.9 yards and 13.2 points per game.
5. The stars
Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma’s electrifying senior quarterback, a former walk-on, won the Heisman Trophy this season, college football’s top individual honor. He passed for 4,340 yards and 41 touchdowns. Georgia also has formidable offensive weapons in senior tailbacks Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, who have combined for 2,123 rushing yards this season, as well as one of the nation’s top defensive players in linebacker Roquan Smith.
