Pregame notes: Bowl update, past opponent coaching news

Before Georgia has even played, two events have taken place Saturday that should crystallize the Bulldogs’ bowl situation.

First, the president of the Sugar Bowl told Robbie Neiswanger of the Northwest Arkansas News that the Sugar will essentially choose the winner of the LSU-Arkansas game. I say “essentially” because if South Carolina beats Auburn in the SEC championship, things change.

But the basic fact there is that the SEC is all but certain of getting two teams in the BCS. Because even if Auburn loses, it (or LSU, if it wins) probably get an at-large berth.

Second, Tennessee has defeated Kentucky to reach the magic six-win mark.

So let’s assume Georgia wins tonight and also gets bowl-eligible. That means:

1) The SEC will almost certainly have 10 bowl-eligible teams, enough to exactly fill its bowl tie-ins.
2) The final three teams, all with 6-6 records, would be Georgia, Kentucky and Tennessee. The final three bowls in the selection order are the Music City, Liberty and BBVA Compass.

The Music City, having had its fill of Kentucky, will almost certainly choose between Georgia and Tennessee.

If the pick is Tennessee, it’s a solid bet the Liberty will want Georgia – unless it gets scared off by concerns that Bulldog fans won’t travel.

Should that be the case, then hello Birmingham for the Bulldogs.

Still, my guess is Georgia doesn’t make it past both of the Tennessee-based bowls. So basically, if Georgia wins tonight, it’s a good bet we can start planning for a trip to Nashville or Memphis.

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Here’s a freaky stat for you, and something to give Paul Johnson reason to back out of tonight's game:

Louisiana-Lafayette head coach Ricky Bustle is reportedly being let go after today’s game. Therefore, all three nonconference teams Georgia have faced this season have fired their coaches. (Dan Hawkins at Colorado and John Zamberlin at Idaho State.)

Michigan fans are now wishing their team had played Georgia too.

Throw in Robbie Caldwell, who resigned in advance of Vanderbilt’s game, and it’s one-third of Georgia’s opponents this year that will see coaching changes. So far.