[bigboydan]

**Sugar Bowl, West Virginia vs. Georgia**



-- Normally this bowl game is played in New Orleans, but the damage created by Hurricane Katrina to The Louisiana Superdome has moved the venue to the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Kickoff for this BCS game is scheduled for 8:30 p.m., with ABC providing national coverage.



-- The Sugar Bowl has been dominated by the Southeastern Conference, winning four straight bowl games, including Auburn’s 16-13 victory over Virginia Tech in last year’s battle.



-- West Virginia (10-1 SU, 8-2 ATS) earned a trip to the Sugar Bowl after winning the Big East’s BCS berth. The Mountaineers finished conference play unbeaten, notching an impressive 7-0 both SU and ATS mark.



-- Actually, head Rich Rodriguez’s troops finished the season with six straight wins, five of them coming by double-digit fashion. The lone loss for the Mounties came on Oct. 1 as an 11-point home underdog to Virginia Tech, 34-17.



-- This year’s championship and BCS berth for Rodriguez was the first during his five-year tenure at West Virginia. Still, the head coach has failed to win a bowl game, going 0-3 both SU and ATS. All three losses have been by double-digits.



-- Most schools don’t fare as well on the road, but WVU is an exception. The team has outscored opponents by an average of 17 PPG (27-10) away from home en route to a perfect 5-0 both SU and ATS mark.



-- West Virginia doesn’t do anything special except for pound the ball and run the clock. Freshman sensation Steve Slaton (924 yards, 14 TDs) leads a ground game that is averaging 263 YPG, ranked sixth in the nation. Saying the Mountaineers are one-dimensional is understatement, considering the pass offense is averaging 16 attempts for 116 YPG through the air.



-- The Mountaineers’ defense has been solid, holding teams to 16.3 PPG and 293 YPG. However, the Big East isn’t exactly filled with offensive juggernauts. Louisville (No. 8) is the only team that is ranked amongst the top-25 attacks in the nation.



-- Georgia (10-2 SU, 6-6 ATS) will be playing its second straight game at the Georgia Dome after ripping LSU 34-14 in the Southeastern Championship Game on Dec. 3. Ironically, this will be the third straight game for the Bulldogs. The team dropped Georgia Tech 14-7 on Nov. 26 in an intrastate rivalry game.



-- Head coach Mark Richt has been very successful in his five-year tenure at Georgia. The former offensive coordinator at Florida State has captured two SEC titles and will be making his second trip to a BCS bowl. Richt is 3-1 SU and 2-2 ATS in bowl games.



-- Bulldogs quarterback D.J. Shockley was known more for his feet than his arm, but the signal caller has dismissed the critics this season. The senior has passed for 2,311 yards and 21 touchdowns with only five picks.



-- The Dawgs’ defense is giving up 14.6 PPG and 298 YPG of total offense, ranked 10th in the nation. What’s amazing is that this unit is just the fifth best in the conference. Similar to the Big East, the SEC just doesn’t possess many high octane offenses this year.



-- Georgia is 5-1 SU and 4-2 ATS on the road this year, with its only loss coming The World’s Largest Cocktail Party on Oct. 29 against Florida, 14-10.



-- WVU is 3-1 both SU and ATS versus bowl eligible schools, while Georgia has prevailed to a 4-2 both SU and ATS record.



-- The odds on this game were posted just under a month ago (Dec. 4) and this line has been dropping quickly. Georgia opened as a nine-point favorite, but has since been dropped to as low as 6 ½ points in some books. The total has held steady at 45.

[Illusion]

I think this is gonna be a great game. I have West Virgina, good luck everybody.

[bigboydan]

i liked WV, til i heard the prick was on them

[onlooker]

This game is being played in the Georgia dome I believe. So its sorta a home game for the Bulldogs here, but dont let that sway your capping. WV +7 is the way I would play it.

[bigboydan]

that line shot way down though. and, that is basicly a home game for georgia too.