New Year’s in NOLA: Baylor to face Georgia in Sugar Bowl

Baylor football’s extraordinary 2019 season will stretch into 2020, as the Bears will be playing on New Year’s Day in the Sugar Bowl!

Having already matched the program record with 11 victories, head coach Matt Rhule’s squad, ranked 7th nationally, will face No. 5 Georgia in the Allstate Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1 (7:45 p.m. CT, ESPN).

“We’re a program that believes in competition,” said Rhule on Sunday. “We’re a program that believes in being grateful for every opportunity that you have. And we were a team that was picked sixth or seventh in our league. … We would like to finish the year as a top-10 team. If we can win one more game and get to 12 wins, we will be the winningest team in Baylor football history. And where we came from in the past, three years ago, to where we are now, I know our guys are going to play their best game and give our best effort.”

Baylor will be making its first Sugar Bowl appearance since 1957, when the Bears upset No. 2-ranked Tennessee, 13-7. BU also hasn’t faced Georgia since 1989. But games against SEC foes are actually becoming a regular happening; Baylor defeated Vanderbilt in last year’s Texas Bowl, and will open 2020 against Ole Miss at Houston’s NRG Stadium.

Georgia narrowly missed out on this year’s College Football Playoff, dropping from 4th in the rankings (the last team in) to 5th (the first team out) in the final week after losing to LSU in the SEC Championship game. Like Baylor, the Bulldogs are 11-2 on the season and built on defense. UGA ranks second nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 12.5 points per game. (For comparison, BU ranks 16th at 19.3 ppg.) The Bulldogs lost to Texas in last year’s Sugar Bowl, 28-21.

Tickets are available through Baylor, starting with Bear Foundation members and opening to the general public on Thursday. Seats range from the 50-yard line to the end zone, and prices range from $100-255. A limited number of special student tickets are available for just $50, along with a student package that includes travel to and from the game for $150; click here for details on that offer.

Need something new to wear? Sugar Bowl gear (and other Baylor football paraphernalia) is available now through the Baylor Bookstore. Fans can book rooms at the official team hotel via Anthony Travel. Additional information about the game and surrounding events can be found at the Sugar Bowl website. Baylor Alumni is working on events in New Orleans leading up to the game; stay tuned for more details on that.

For news, updates and more, bookmark BaylorBears.com’s Bowl Central.

Sic ’em, bowl-bound Bears!