Unforeseen Silver Lining For Dawgs

Obviously, every Georgia fan, and probably a lot of non-Georgia fans would've preferred that the Dawgs pulled out the win on Saturday, 100%.

In my attempt at deluding myself, though, I've seen an unexpected and significant uptick in positive publicity for the Bulldogs over the past couple days.

As Bama was widely recognized as unbeatable and perhaps one of the greatest college football teams of all time, the fact that Georgia outplayed them for much of the game and nearly got it done has led to national sports media-types (including some that have been labeled 'anti-Georgia' at times) on a pro-Georgia crusade.

While the Dawgs ultimately lost out to Oklahoma for the 4th playoff spot, people all over were saying that Georgia deserved to be in, or at bare minimum, that they were easily one of the 4 best teams in the country.

All this positive retrospection of the Dawgs and their season could bear fruit in years to come. Obviously, it's helpful to continuing Georgia's success on the recruiting trail. That much positive exposure has to be of benefit.

Additionally, though, this is a bit of a watershed moment for the national media's perception of Georgia as a whole. What happened Saturday, coupled with the 2017 season's near-ultimate success now has Georgia firmly planted in the collective consciousness of sports media and fans as one of the few elite. Like it or not, it's important for big and sustained success.

So, while I'd prefer a win, and Georgia would still be held in extremely high esteem, there's almost more positive talking going on about the Dawgs, and at least that's something.