No. 6 Cincinnati (9-0, American Athletic Conference) vs. No. 11 Georgia (7-2, Southeastern Conference), Jan. 1, 12:30 p.m. ET
LOCATION: Atlanta
TOP PLAYERS
Cincinnati: RB Gerrid Doaks and QB Desmond Ridder combined for 19 rushing touchdowns and almost 1,300 yards. Ridder passed for 2,090 yards with 17 touchdowns and six interceptions, including 269 yards with a touchdown in the AAC title game, and was named AAC offensive player of the year. LB Jarell White, a first-team, all-AAC selection, led the Bearcats with 74 tackles and had two interceptions and two sacks.
Georgia: WR George Pickens had 29 catches for 378 yards and team-leading five touchdowns in only seven games. RB Zamir White led Bulldogs with 740 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns. QB JT Daniels threw for 839 yards with nine touchdowns and one interception in three games. LB Azeez Ojulari had 5.5 sacks. LB Nakobe Dean led team with 64 tackles.
NOTABLE
Cincinnati: The Bearcats have three wins over Top 25 teams this season and joined Clemson as the nation’s only two teams to be ranked among the top 20 teams in scoring and scoring defense. Despite the Top 25 wins, however, Cincinnati’s strength of schedule was ranked only 77th and that hurt lobbying efforts for the Bearcats to become the first non-Power 5 team to reach the College Football Playoff. The Bearcats beat No. 22 Tulsa 27-24 to win the AAC championship game. Cincinnati was No. 8 in Sunday’s CFP ranking.
Georgia: The Bulldogs played only three home games after its final regular-season game against Vanderbilt was canceled due to the Commodores’ COVID-19 roster limitations. Georgia seniors have a 43-9 record with one SEC championship and three SEC Eastern Division titles. The Bulldogs have averaged 41.9 points and 498 yards in three games, all wins, with Daniels at quarterback. Georgia was No. 9 in Sunday’s CFP ranking, one spot behind the Bearcats.
LAST TIME
Georgia leads the series 2-0, including a 31-17 win at Sanford Stadium on Oct. 30, 1976.
BOWL HISTORY
Cincinnati: The Bearcats have a 10-9 bowl record, including a 38-6 win over Boston College in last year’s Birmingham Bowl and a 35-31 win over Virginia Tech in the 2018 Military Bowl. Cincinnati’s most recent bowl matchups against SEC teams included a win over Vanderbilt in the 2011 Liberty Bowl and a loss to Florida in the 2009 Sugar Bowl.
Georgia: The Bulldogs are 32-21-3 in 56 bowl games, including a 26-14 win over Baylor in last season’s Sugar Bowl. Georgia is 3-2 in bowl games with coach Kirby Smart. Georgia is 3-2 in the Peach Bowl, including a 31-24 win over Virginia Tech in 2006 in its most recent appearance. Georgia has been ranked in the top 10 in each CFP ranking since its first release in 2017.
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