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This was a rebuilding season for Georgia after losing QB Stafford and RB Moreno to the NFL and the Bulldogs struggled to a 7-5 season in which coach Richt surprisingly came under pressure despite his outstanding 82-22 record in his first 8 seasons. The pressure was eased a bit with their season ending win over Georgia Tech. They are in a Bowl for a thirteenth straight season and have won each of their last 3. For A&M this was a season of improvement in ex-NFL coach Sherman's second season. The Aggies return to a Bowl after a one season absence. They did end the season losing 3 of 4 but the final loss was in a very competitive effort against arch rival Texas. Their signature win as a 52-30 blowout over Texas Tech on the road. They had 4 other wins by at least 24 points. They also suffered losses by 28, 48 and 55 points to Arkansas, Kansas State and Oklahoma. Talk about feast or famine! A&M ranked # 5 on offense (465 ypg) and # 107 on defense (431 ypg). Georgia was better balanced with the # 74 offense (362 ypg) and # 30 defense (328 ypg). Georgia did defeat Arkansas in SEC play. Both teams lost to Oklahoma State. Aside from the win over Georgia Tech, Georgia's other notable wins were over Bowl-bound Auburn and South Carolina. The contrast between offense and defense matchups make this a most intriguing contest. A&M's profile is indicative of a high scoring shootout. Georgia's primary stats suggest more of a lower scoring contest. But Georgia was - 17 in turnovers tilts the percentages both to the underdog and more of a high scoring game. The Bulldogs were sloppy in protecting the football and the defense rarely created turnovers. A&M has an excellent chance at pulling off the upset but their vulnerabilities on defense make this a risky forecast. Georgia's offense did improve over the second half of the season, scoring at least 27 points in each of their last 4 games against defenses much better than they'll face here. The overall talent and speed of SEC athletes point to Georgia being able to answer any A&M score and in making a key defensive stop. The call is for the points to come into play as Georgia wins 37-34, making TEXAS A&M a 2 Star Selection and the OVER a 1 Star Selection .

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Minnesota - 7 over Chicago (Monday) - The Vikings have had their problems on the road of late, dropping their last two such contests at Arizona and Carolina by a combined 56-24 score. Chicago is playing out the string and cannot truly play spoiler as the Vikes have already clinched the NFC North title. But Minny is now in danger of losing the # 2 NFC seed to Philadelphia. We've seen teams out of contention use the national limelight as a stage to at least get some satisfaction as San Francisco upset Arizona two weeks ago and last Sunday night saw Carolina upset these very Vikings. But Chicago has not shown the same signs entering this contest as have those other teams that pulled off big home upsets. The night cold will be a challenge for the Vikes in general but not for QB Favre who enjoyed these conditions when with Green Bay. Much will be made of his sideline confrontation with Coach Childress who wanted to take him out of last week's game with the Vikes up 7-6 but it's not really an issue. It's tempting to make a case for the Bears but the edges just are not there. With Minnesota hearing Philly footsteps they should put forth a fully focused effort here to get back on track as a legitimate NFC contender. They have all the fundamental edges. Minnesota wins 27-13.