Bulldogs face Michigan State in Orlando

Athens — Well, it wasn’t what Georgia wanted, but there are worse things than a post-Christmas vacation in the land of Disney.

As expected, the Bulldogs (9-3) will play in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando. They will play Michigan State (9-3, 6-2), the third-place team from the Big Ten, at 1 p.m. on New Year’s Day at Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium.

“We’re thrilled,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said. “We’re genuinely excited about the opportunity to go to the Capital One Bowl. We’re excited about going to Orlando. We’re excited about playing a great, top-25 team in Michigan State.”

It will be Georgia’s fourth appearance in the game formerly known as the Citrus Bowl. It is 2-0-1 in the previous three appearances. The Bulldogs beat Purdue 34-27 in overtime the last time they were there on Jan. 1, 2004. Georgia also played in Orlando in the Tangerine Bowl in 1974, losing to Miami-Ohio 21-10.

The Florida Citrus selection committee debated between Georgia and Ole Miss (8-4). The Rebels accepted a bid to the Cotton Bowl. They also considered Iowa and Northwestern from the Big Ten side.

“I would say it was very, very close. There was a lot of debate,” said Steve Hogan, executive director Florida Citrus Sports. “Coach [Houston] Nutt has done an amazing job at Ole Miss. They were one of the hotter teams at the end of the season and had a nice win over Florida. But at the end of the day it really came down to the fact that Georgia was 9-3 on the field and had a one-game better record overall and in the conference.”

The Capital One has the highest payout of the non-BCS bowls at $4.75 million per team. Hogan said they’re not concerned about the Bulldogs or their fans being down because of a disappointing season.

“That didn’t enter our thinking,” he said. “We’re all attuned to the economy right now and we’re respectful of the fact the country is going through what it is. I think that’s going to impact teams as much as anything. But I think Georgia fans are generally some of the stronger fans in the country and I think they’re going to be pretty fired up to come down here and play a Big Ten team like Michigan State. I think both teams have something to prove.”

The bowl will pit the SEC versus the Big Ten for the 16th time. The series is tied at 8-8 but Big Ten teams have won the last four. In fact, the last SEC team to win was Georgia when it beat Purdue 34-27 in overtime in 2004.

“I think the players take pride in that,” Richt said. “I know when we played Arizona State in the Pac-10 that was a big topic of discussion. I think they take pride in being from the Southeastern Conference.”

Georgia last played Michigan State on Jan. 1, 1989 in the Gator Bowl. The Bulldogs won Vince Dooley’s last game as coach 34-27.

The Spartans are playing in a New Year’s Day bowl for the first time since 2000. They are led by one of the best running backs in college football in senior Javon Ringer. Ringer is the nation’s leading scorer with 21 touchdowns in 12 games and the third-leading rusher with 1,590 yards. Like Georgia’s Knowshon Moreno he is one of the three finalists for the Doak Walker Award that goes to the country’s best back.

“Javon Riinger is a phenomenal football player,” Richt said. “He’s carried the ball more than anybody else in the United States of America (370 times). He’s a tremendous player.”

Michigan State is in its second year of a rebuilding project under the direction of coach Mark Dantonio. He came to East Lansing, Mich., from Cincinnati in November of 2006 and has led the Spartans to their most wins since 1999. They went 7-6 last year after three straight losing seasons. They played in Orlando last year in the Champs Sports Bowl.

“For us it’s another step in our progression,” Dantonio said. “Our goals were to make a New Year’s Day bowl game and we’re very excited to do that. Our fan base is very, very excited.”

A LOOK AT MICHIGAN STATE

Record: 9-3, 6-2 Big Ten (3rd)

Coach: Mark Dantonio (34-26 overall, 16-9 in two yearsMSU)

Big wins this year: Defeated Iowa 16-13 on 10/4; Michigan 35-21 on 10/25; Wisconsin 25-24 on 11/1.

Big losses this year: Lost 38-31 at California on 8/30; lost 45-7 at home to Ohio State; lost 49-18 on 11/22 at Penn State.

Star player: Senior tailback Javon Ringer (5-9, 202) is the nation’s No. 3 rusher with 1,590 yards and No. 1 scorer with 10.5 points per game and 21 touchdowns. Sophomore linebacker Greg Jones has 115 tackles.

First impression for Georgia: This is a great matchup two of the three finalists for the Doak Walker Award in Ringer and Georgia’s Knowshon Moreno. Controlling Ringer is clearly the key as he was held under 100 yards in the Spartans three losses.