Wherever Georgia ends up this bowl season, the Bulldogs will be taking the field with at least three key players missing from the team’s roster.

With Georgia losing its final home game of the regular season this weekend, due to Vanderbilt not having the scholarship numbers to make the trip to Athens, that means we’ve seen the last of linebacker Monty Rice, tight end Tre McKitty and cornerback D.J. Daniel in a Bulldog uniform.

That’s because all three players have made the decision to opt-out of Georgia’s upcoming bowl game as first reported by Anthony Dasher of UGASports.com.

At this time, we don’t yet know where Georgia will be bowling, but that news is coming on Sunday. The Bulldogs are expected to head to a New Year’s Six Bowl.

While some fans may not like to see this news, these players — along with the rest of Georgia’s roster — deserve credit for sticking it out and playing throughout the regular season and coming on strong late into December.

That may be a given during some seasons but this year has been unlike any other and once a team with national championship aspirations, like Georgia’s, dropped a game or two, opt-outs have been happening all across the nation.

That hasn’t been the case in Athens, as the Bulldogs have stuck together despite losses to Alabama and Florida and finished the season with three wins in a row, including two dominant performances against South Carolina and Missouri.