A tough 33-30 3OT loss to Michigan State in the Outback Bowl dropped Georgia from a likely top 10 finish in the final coaches poll all the way down to No. 20.
At 10-4, the Bulldogs had a bounce-back year that saw them win the SEC East and likely save Mark Richt's job, and they are one of five SEC teams in the top 25, with the other four -- Alabama, LSU, Arkansas and South Carolina -- finishing in the top 8.
But thanks to a fluke in scheduling due to the additions of Texas A&M and Missouri, Georgia will not face any of the three SEC West powers in the regular season.
Combine that with the likely return of QB Aaron Murray and expectations in Athens are as high as they've been since Matt Stafford was under center.
Meanwhile, after starting the season 6-0, Georgia Tech dropped 5 of their last 7 games, including a 30-27 OT loss to Utah in the Sun Bowl. As a result, the Yellow Jackets were one of the few 8 win teams to not even make the "others receiving votes" category in the final poll.