The No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs (12-1) are looking down the barrel of a potential matchup with an extremely familiar face.
On New Year’s Eve, No. 10 Miami (12-2) pulled off a massive upset over No. 2 Ohio State (12-2) in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. The Buckeyes were one of the heavy favorites to win it all going into the CFP. OSU was seeking a second straight national championship. That’s a feat that has only been achieved twice since the start of the BCS era (Alabama ’11 & ’12, Georgia ’21 & ’22).
Depending on the outcome of the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day, Miami will play either Georgia or Ole Miss in the quarterfinals a week from now.
The high-powered Hurricanes are led by quarterback Carson Beck. The veteran signal-caller transferred to Miami this past offseason after spending five years at the University of Georgia. Beck was the face of the UGA program for two seasons, starting at QB in 2023 and 2024.
If Georgia beats Ole Miss on Thursday, they will play Miami at the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 8. The winner will go to the national championship.
Carson Beck’s feelings on possibly playing Georgia
After Miami’s win over Ohio State, Carson Beck gave his thoughts about the potential game against his former team.
“When you look at the College Football Playoff bracket, it’s hard not to look forward to the games,” Beck said. “You look at the bracket, the way things could pan out, and obviously, having beaten Texas A&M and earned the right to go play in Arizona in the semifinals, it’s hard not to look ahead and see the two teams we could end up playing. I’m super excited for this team and the opportunity to play in the semifinals, and whichever team wins that game, we’ll go in prepared and make the most of it.”
A matchup with this much history would be one of the best stories in college football this year. Georgia will have to handle business against Ole Miss first.
The Jacksonville native was very successful in his time under center for the Dawgs, but became a controversial figure among fans during the 2024 season. Beck was highly criticized for causing off-the-field distractions, and many questioned his character and leadership ability. This was all compounded by the fact that the Bulldogs and Beck’s individual performance took a step back in 2024.
In addition to not being the humble leader UGA fans are accustomed to, Beck struck an extra nerve with the fan base following the 2024 season. After a disappointing year, the QB announced he would be declaring for the NFL draft, which didn’t set Georgia fans ablaze. Not long after, Beck would surprise everyone by changing course and transferring to Miami.
It seemed unlikely that a face-off between UGA and its former longtime QB would happen, but the stars have almost aligned.
