NEW ORLEANS — No. 8 Baylor is going for its first 12-win season when it plays fifth-ranked Georgia in the Sugar Bowl Wednesday
Baylor was a 1-11 team just three seasons ago. Georgia has won at least 11 games in each of the past three seasons and is back in the Sugar Bowl for a second straight year.
For the Bulldogs, the Sugar Bowl has been a consolation prize after losing the SEC Championship game two seasons running. But Georgia players say they want to send seniors out as winners this time after last year's Sugar Bowl loss to Texas.
Sugar Bowl: No. 5 Georgia (11-2) at No. 8 Baylor (11-2), Wednesday at 8:50 p.m. EST (ESPN).
Line: Georgia by 5.
Series record: Georgia leads 4-0 .
WHAT'S AT STAKE
Georgia gives itself a chance to finish in the top five with a win and redeem itself for a 28-21 loss to Texas in the previous Sugar Bowl. Baylor goes for its first victory over Georgia and second Sugar Bowl triumph. The Bears also might need to win to finish with a top-10 ranking.
KEY MATCHUP
Georgia's offensive line, which has three starters out, against a Baylor defensive front that had 43 sacks this season. The Bulldogs have given up only 12 sacks this season, but two starters have said they plan to enter the NFL draft and one is academically ineligible.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Georgia: Jake Fromm has had a disappointing season by his standards, passing for 2,610 yards and 22 TDs against five interceptions. Still, he remains among the SEC's most respected quarterbacks.
Baylor: WR Denzel Mims is 55 yards short of 1,000 this season and has 11 TD receptions.
FACTS & FIGURES
Georgia's record in the Sugar Bowl is 4-6. ... The Bulldogs have split their past four appearances in the game since 2003 with one Sugar Bowl played in Atlanta — a loss to West Virginia — after Hurricane Katrina in the 2005 season. ... Baylor is 1-0 in the Sugar Bowl, beating Tennessee at the end of the 1956 season. ... Baylor is 4-3 in bowl games against current members of the SEC. ... Georgia is 31-21-3 in bowls, ranking third in victories nationally, behind Alabama (41) Southern California (34). ... Baylor QB Charlie Brewer played at the same Austin, Texas, high school (Lake Travis) as Baker Mayfield, who led Oklahoma to a Sugar Bowl victory over Auburn at the end of the 2016 season. ... Baylor is seeking its first 12-win season in a program dating to 1903. ... Georgia has 11 wins for the 12th time and is eyeing a 12-win season for the fifth time and second time in three seasons.
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