Scout.com: 5 Thoughts - 2008 Sugar Bowl

1. Just because Hawaii got blasted by Georgia, that doesn’t mean the little guy shouldn’t keep getting a chance in the spotlight. Illinois got crushed by USC. Other teams have lost big in BCS games, too. Hawaii was way overmatched and out of its league, but if it goes 12-0 again next year, give it a shot at a BCS game. If Boise State, Nevada, or UL Monroe go unbeaten, they deserve one of the slots even if the little guy keeps losing 41-10. Remember, the BCS isn’t a playoff, and teams that play a schedule like Hawaii didn’t shouldn’t be playing for the national title, but these are glorified exhibition games. If a team is in D-I (or the FBS), then it has to be included in the fun. However …

2. This was a huge blow to the non-BCS conference teams. It’d be one thing to lose, but to appear to be so outclassed and with no prayer whatsoever of being competitive from the start, this won’t help future non-BCS conference teams looking for respect without a big win under its belt. Hawaii only beat one BCS league team, Washington, and played one of the worst schedules in America. Was it overwhelmed by the game and the moment? Maybe, but it also looked small-time compared to the mighty Bulldogs.

3. So just how good is Georgia? While many might dismiss the win because it came against Hawaii, but don’t forget that this is the same Warrior team that beat Fresno State 37-30. That same Bulldog team beat Georgia Tech easily in the Humanitarian, and that same Georgia Tech team gave Georgia a little bit of a battle in a 31-17 loss. While that might be reaching to make the win look better than it was, Hawaii did beat three teams that went bowling. It was still strong enough to go 12-0 with several pressure packed wins. This might not have been like beating Florida or Wisconsin, but it was still a Sugar Bowl victory. Georgia won’t give it back.

4. 2008 was supposed to be when Georgia regrouped and became special, but now it looks like it could be positively dominant. The receiving corps could use an upgrade and losing big-legged kicker Brandon Coutu could be the difference between a national title type of season and just a really, really good one, but the team is loaded. Knowshon Moreno has to stay healthy and Matthew Stafford has to take anther step and become the pro caliber quarterback many think he can be, but the defense should be dominant out of the gate and the offensive line should be dominant. This blowout over Hawaii should set the tone for a big year with a buzz generated for the entire offseason. It’ll be interesting to see how much respect the team gets in the preseason polls.

5. Just generate pressure and you can stop any offense. Virginia got to Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell early and seemingly had the game in hand, it couldn’t get the same pressure late, and lost. Wisconsin’s Tyler Donovan was banged around by Tennessee and the Badgers lost. Colt Brennan never had a chance to breathe against a Georgia pass rush that generated eight sacks and forced the action all game long. Had Brennan got time to operate, he would’ve put on a show, but the timing was thrown off all game long and the offense went into the tank. Hawaii really does have stars, but they weren’t allowed to shine because of the offensive line.

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