Deep down, all us Georgians knew that UGA's 13-0 lead in the national championship wouldn't last. Even as we were elated, we were waiting with bated breath for the other shoe to drop.
This state of mind is more prevalent among Georgia-based sports fans now than ever due to the memory of last year's Super Bowl that is still haunting us: our Falcons, the most offensively potent team in the league last season, blew a 25 point lead in the final 30 minutes of play.
But these are far from the only time Atlanta's sport teams have failed to capitalize down the stretch.
The '96 World Series.
The 2012 Falcons blowing a 17 point lead in the NFC Championship, played in the Georgia Dome. (This especially sucked because it happened three days after my 13th birthday.)
The Hawks being swept by the Cavs in the 2015 Eastern Conference Finals, despite being the 4th seed and winning 19 straight in the regular season.
The 2012 SEC Championship game, which was lost almost exclusively due to bad time management on the last drive. (This one also applies to the Super Bowl.)
...and the list could go on. Recently, people have said that Atlanta has replaced Cleveland as the most miserable sports city in America, but I have to respectfully disagree.
Sure, Lebron and the Cavs won the NBA title in 2016, but they were steamrolled by Golden State in the years before and after, 4-2 and 4-1 respectively. And the Indians lost Game 7 of the 2016 World Series in extra innings on their home field.
But the worst Cleveland sports woes comes in the form of football: the QB-eating machine that is the Cleveland Browns, and more specifically the 0-16 2017 iteration, who became just second team ever to reach that low.
So, yes there is much misery in being a Georgia sports fan, but it is always better to be on the cusp of greatness than perpetually in the gutter. At least this way, hope springs eternal.
Case in point: the Falcons, just one year removed from Super Bowl heartbreak, have weathered the ups and downs of the season and made to the second round of the playoffs thanks to a much stronger defensive front than was present in Houston.
And remember, no matter what happens Saturday afternoon against the Eagles...
It's just a game.
Added the morning of Jan 14th: GO UNITED!
