Georgia didn't travel more than 800 (road) miles for an away game this season until they flew across the entire country for their playoff matchup vs. Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl, more than 2,200 miles from Athens, Ga. But if the Bulldogs defeat the Sooners and advance to the College Football Playoff National Championship, they'll venture a whopping 70 miles southeast to Atlanta and become the sixth team to play a national championship in their home state since 1998.
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On Jan. 4, 2004, LSU held Oklahoma and Heisman Trophy winner Jason White to 154 total yards in a 21-14 win at the Superdome in New Orleans, just 80 miles from Baton Rouge. Four years later, the Tigers did it again, this time making the 80-mile drive down I-10 to force four Ohio State turnovers in a 38-24 victory over the Buckeyes. And, again, four years later, LSU once again played in the BCS National Championship in New Orleans. This time, they were held to 92 total yards, had zero drives of more than 23 yards and were walloped by Alabama, 21-0.
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The other two in-state title game were played by two different teams, USC and Florida State. The first came back in 2000 when the Seminoles went 500 miles to Miami, where they fell to Oklahoma, 13-2. In 2005, the Trojans drove 14 miles from their Los Angeles campus to the Rose Bowl, the shortest distance for a championship participant in the BCS and playoff eras. The Trojans were shocked by Vince Young and Texas, 41-38.
Teams playing national championships in their home states are 2-3. If Georgia takes care of business on Monday in Pasadena, will they join the 2003 and 2007 LSU teams as ones who celebrated a national title in their home? Or tip the scales deeper in the direction of out-of-state teams?
