Raylen Wilson says CFP loss last season put a chip on Georgia’s shoulder
By David Wasson
Published:
The Georgia Bulldogs find themselves in nearly the identical position heading into the 2025-26 College Football Playoff that they were in last season – a highly-ranked team preparing for the Sugar Bowl and another run at a national championship.
Last year No. 2 Georgia tumbled out of the CFP in the quarterfinal round in the Superdome in New Orleans, losing to No. 7 Notre Dame 23-10. That setback is something that Bulldogs linebacker Raylen Wilson says is serving as fuel to guard against a repeat performance.
“It’s intrinsic motivation for the people that was in that stadium last year,” Wilson said during a pre-Sugar Bowl media opportunity Saturday. “You don’t want to go out feeling like that, and I feel like the people that played last year in that stadium got a chip on their shoulder.”
Georgia is the No. 3 seed this season heading into the CFP quarterfinals and will take on No. 10 seed Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day (8 pm ET, ESPN). The Bulldogs will be looking for a second victory against the Rebels this season, having already rallied for a 43-35 victory on Oct. 18 in Athens. Georgia scored 17 4th-quarter points in that game at home, and quarterback Gunner Stockton threw 4 touchdown passes against Ole Miss.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
