To realize where you’re going, often you have to remember where you’ve been.

Two months ago, Georgia coaches, players and fans weren’t lamenting the BCS system and how they may have been unfairly treated. Two months ago, they were wondering whether the Bulldogs were good enough to stay in the Top 25.

“After Oct. 6 – after Tennessee – we didn’t think we would even make it to a bowl game,” head coach Mark Richt said. “We were hoping to get bowl-eligible at that point, and to kind of catch fire like we did was just a tremendous thing for our program. Now we get a chance to play the only undefeated team in the United States.”

Many would point to the Dogs’ 42-30 win against Florida three weeks later as the season’s critical moment, but Richt said the tide turned for Georgia in the game following the Knoxville debacle, when the Bulldogs had their own Music City miracle.

“The first thing that happened to us was we played Vanderbilt the very next week and we were down 10 at the half. We fought back to tie the game, and Vanderbilt was driving down the field with just a few minutes to go and got inside the 20, I believe, on a run. Thankfully, one of our safeties and linebacker combination knocked the ball loose and we got on it.

“I think we got the ball on like the 7-yard line or something like that and drove down, got position to kick the field goal with just a couple seconds to go. We make the kick and beat Vanderbilt. That might have been the turning point of our season right there – that fumble recovery.”

After that win against Vanderbilt, the Dogs had a bye week, then went to Jacksonville and the rest is recent history.

Six straight wins, a share of the division championship and a flirtation with a possible national championship game berth show how much a little motivation and adversity can help what was considered a young team to start the season.

“Sometimes you need that (butt) whooping,” cornerback Thomas Flowers said.

Now the Bulldogs head to New Orleans for the third time in seven years to finish off their season and put themselves in prime poll position for 2008.

“I think the guys are going to be extremely excited,” Richt said. “It’s going to be a whole month before we play, and that’s plenty of time to get jacked up about a bowl game.”

It’s pretty sweet when you remember where the Bulldogs were just a few short weeks ago.