Buy-in for non-playoff bowl game or opt out?

Georgia football's playoff presence the last two seasons brought automatic buy-in from a roster with players invested in winning a national championship.

Nobody on the Bulldogs, with all due respect, began this season hoping to end it by winning a bowl game two days before New Year's.

Even a stalwart and team leader, center Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, wouldn't say for certain after the SEC championship loss to Alabama Saturday that he would play if the Bulldogs didn't reach the College Football Playoff.

“That's not something I can answer, but I have plans on it, yes,” Van PranGranger, a possible second-round NFL draft pick who could be the first at his position to go, said.

Georgia is playing Florida State in the Dec. 30 Orange Bowl.

It's opt-out time for bowl teams not playing in the semifinal games, the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl.

The last time Georgia coach Kirby Smart had to deal with it was the 2020 Peach Bowl when Eric Stokes, Monty Rice, Ben Cleveland and Tre' McKitty chose to skip the bowl.

Stokes was an NFL first-round pick and the other three went in the third round. Injuries during the season factored in for some as well as draft considerations.

Smart said Sunday he expected to have conversations with some players this week about whether they may not play.

“They need some time to decompress,” he said. “I'm not expecting anyone to not play, to be honest with you. When the conversation comes, we'll have those conversations with 'em. We'll talk to 'em. … We'll have guys into the portal, opt to not play in the game."

Six Georgia players were in the transfer portal on Monday, including backup quarterback Brock Vandagriff.

"To be honest with you, I'm really not stressing or worried about it right now," Smart said. "We have a week to kind of get ourselves together. Our guys will take some time off, take a little break they need, get back and get back to working out, throwing, practice time.”

Georgia was upset 28-21 by Texas in the Sugar Bowl in the 2018 season after eventual first-round cornerback Deandre Baker opted out. That came after a 35-28 SEC championship loss to Alabama.

“Man, it was a struggle. It was tough," Smart said. "There was a lot of disappointment I think."

That's why Smart went with another approach with players.

"We just took the motto that: 'Hey, you're either in or you're out, man,'" Smart said. "It's that simple. We're going to go compete. We're going to go practice. We're going to have our practices and get after it, after a long, tough, grueling year with a championship week on top of it. This is what we're going to do. We're going to practice this many times. You're going to buy into it or not. That is how teams win. It is how you win, is be committed to the calls, be all in on it. If you're wondering or trying to decide then you probably don't need to.”

A year later with that mindset, Georgia offensive tackles Andrew Thomas and Isaiah Wilson — both first-rounders — did not play. Neither did safety J.R. Reed who at the time cited a foot injury.

The Bulldogs beat Baylor in a return Sugar Bowl trip, 26-14.

This time, the Bulldogs 2024 draft prospects include tight end Brock Bowers, offensive tackle Amarius Mims, wide receiver Ladd McConkey, inside linebacker Smael Mondon, quarterback Carson Beck, cornerback Kamari Lassiter and safety Javon Bullard.

“It's not a major concern for me right now,” Smart said, “because I know we have a good core of our team that's going to want to be there and play.”