Game Name: | Sugar Bowl |
Subheader: | CFP New Year's Six 86th Sugar Bowl |
Title Sponsor: | Allstate |
Date Game Played: | January 1 |
Year Game Played: | 2020 |
Football Season: | 2019 |
Stadium: | Mercedes-Benz Superdome |
City: | New Orleans, Louisiana |
Visitor School: | University of Georgia |
Visitor Name Short: | Georgia |
Visitor Nickname: | Bulldogs |
Visitor Record: | 11–2 |
Visitor Conference: | SEC |
Visitor Rank Ap: | 5 |
Visitor Rank Coaches: | 5 |
Visitor Rank Cfp: | 5 |
Visitor Coach: | Kirby Smart |
Visitor 1Q: | 3 |
Visitor 2Q: | 16 |
Visitor 3Q: | 7 |
Visitor 4Q: | 0 |
Home School: | Baylor University |
Home Name Short: | Baylor |
Home Nickname: | Bears |
Home Record: | 11–2 |
Home Conference: | Big 12 |
Home Rank Ap: | 8 |
Home Rank Coaches: | 8 |
Home Rank Cfp: | 7 |
Home Coach: | Matt Rhule |
Home 1Q: | 0 |
Home 2Q: | 0 |
Home 3Q: | 14 |
Home 4Q: | 0 |
Mvp: | George Pickens (WR, Georgia)[1] |
Odds: | Georgia by 3[2] |
Referee: | Jerry McGinn (Big Ten)[3] |
Attendance: | 55,211 |
Us Network: | ESPN and ESPN Radio |
Us Announcers: | ESPN: Sean McDonough (play-by-play) Todd Blackledge (analyst) Holly Rowe (sideline) ESPN Radio: Sean Kelley, Barrett Jones, Ian Fitzsimmons |
Ratings: | 5.7 (10.22 million viewers) |
Intl Network: | ESPN Deportes |
The 2020 Sugar Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 2020, between the Georgia Bulldogs and Baylor Bears, with kickoff scheduled for 8:45 p.m. EST (7:45 p.m. local CST) on ESPN.[4] It was the 86th edition of the Sugar Bowl, and one of the 2019–20 bowl games concluding the 2019 FBS football season. Sponsored by insurance provider Allstate, the game was officially known as the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
The game matched the Georgia Bulldogs from the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and the Baylor Bears from the Big 12 Conference. This was the fifth all-time meeting between the two programs; the Bulldogs had won each of the prior four meetings, most recently in 1989.[5]
See main article: 2019 Georgia Bulldogs football team. Georgia entered the game with an 11–2 record (7–1 in conference). They finished atop the SEC's East Division and advanced to the SEC Championship Game, which they lost to LSU, 37–10. As LSU was selected to the College Football Playoff, Georgia was invited as the SEC representative to the Sugar Bowl. The Bulldogs were 3–1 against ranked opponents, defeating Notre Dame, Florida, and Auburn while losing to LSU. Their only other loss was to South Carolina.
This was Georgia's eleventh Sugar Bowl (the third-most of any team); they had a 4–6 record in prior editions of the bowl. It was also Georgia's second consecutive Sugar Bowl, following their 2018 team's loss to Texas in the 2019 edition, 28–21.
See main article: 2019 Baylor Bears football team. Baylor also entered the game with an 11–2 record (8–1 in conference). They finished tied with Oklahoma atop the Big 12, with the Sooners then defeating the Bears in the Big 12 Championship Game, 30–23 in overtime. As Oklahoma was selected to the College Football Playoff, Baylor was invited as the Big 12 representative to the Sugar Bowl. The Bears were 0–2 against ranked opponents, falling to Oklahoma twice.
This was Baylor's second Sugar Bowl, and their first since their 1956 team won the 1957 edition over Tennessee, 13–7.