Location: New Orleans, La.
Date: 3 January 2007, 8:00 PM EST
Teams: Notre Dame vs. LSU
Televised on: FOX

The 2006 Sugar Bowl was as much about the Big East’s credibility as it was a battle between West Virginia and Georgia.

Stung by the desertions of Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College, the conference had been taking a beating over its BCS-worthiness. Were there any teams deserving of a BCS bid when other top programs were being denied?

The talk stopped as soon as West Virginia raced out to a 28-0 lead on the champions of the SEC. The Mounaineers then hung on to win 38-35. Pat White and Steve Slaton ran the Bulldog defense ragged, with Slaton rushing for a Sugar Bowl record 204 yards.

The Mountaineers, who made their first BCS appearance, were not your typical Big East team, however. They were physical on defense and boasted a balanced offense. While bookmakers had the Bulldogs as 7.5-point favorites, West Virginia reveled in playing the underdog role, as their 9-1 mark against the spread proved. They were also 3-0 when they were underdogs by 8 or more points.

The Sugar Bowl is a post-season college football game traditionally played in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The 2006 Sugar Bowl was played on 2 January 2006 at the 71,228-seat Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. The game was moved there in the wake of damage caused by Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the Gulf Coast.

The champion of the NCAA's Southeastern Conference, Georgia, met West Virginia University, champions of the Big East Conference, who earned the BCS at-large bid.

The 72nd Sugar Bowl marked the first meeting between the Mountaineers and the Bulldogs. This will be the eighth trip to the Sugar Bowl for Georgia, while this is West Virginia's third appearance. Georgia had triumphed in three of its previous appearances, but it was West Virginia winning its first on the strength of a 38-35 win.

Steve Slaton ran for a Sugar Bowl record 204 yards in the 11th-ranked Mountaineers upset of Georgia. It marked the first time in five seasons that the champion of the SEC had lost the Sugar Bowl.

Auburn in 2005, LSU in 2004, Georgia in 2003 and LSU again in 2002 had proven the conference’s supremacy against all comers.

Sugar Bowl Prior Results

Date	Winning Team	Score	Losing Team	Score
2 Jan. 2006	West Virginia	38	Georgia	35
3 Jan. 2005	Auburn	16	Virginia Tech	13
4 Jan. 2004	LSU	21	Oklahoma	14
1 Jan. 2003	Georgia	26	Florida State	13
1 Jan. 2002	LSU	47	Illinois	34
2 Jan. 2001	Miami	37	Florida	20
4 Jan. 2000	Florida State	46	Virginia Tech	29
1 Jan. 1999	Ohio State	24	Texas A&M	14
1 Jan. 1998	Florida State	31	Ohio State	14
2 Jan. 1997	Florida	52	Florida State	20
31 Dec. 1995	Virginia Tech	28	Texas	10
2 Jan. 1995	Florida State	23	Florida	17
1 Jan. 1994	Florida	41	West Virginia	7
1 Jan. 1993	Alabama	34	Miami	13
1 Jan. 1992	Notre Dame	39	Florida	28
1 Jan. 1991	Tennessee	23	Virginia	22
1 Jan. 1990	Miami	33	Alabama	25
2 Jan. 1989	Florida State	13	Auburn	7
1 Jan. 1988	Auburn	16	Syracuse	16
1 Jan. 1987	Nebraska	30	LSU	15
1 Jan. 1986	Tennessee	35	Miami	7
1 Jan. 1985	Nebraska	28	Louisiana State	10
2 Jan. 1984	Auburn	9	Michigan	7
1 Jan. 1983	Penn State	27	Georgia	23
1 Jan. 1982	Pittsburgh	24	Georgia	20
1 Jan. 1981	Georgia	17	Notre Dame	10
1 Jan. 1980	Alabama	24	Arkansas	9
1 Jan. 1979	Alabama	14	Penn State	7
2 Jan. 1978	Alabama	35	Ohio State	6
1 Jan. 1977	Pittsburgh	27	Georgia	3
31 Dec. 1975	Nebraska	13	Penn State	6
31 Dec. 1974	Nebraska	13	Florida	10
31 Dec. 1973	Notre Dame	24	Alabama	23
31 Dec. 1972	Oklahoma	14	Penn State	0
1 Jan. 1972	Oklahoma	40	Auburn	22
1 Jan. 1971	Tennessee	34	Air Force	13
1 Jan. 1970	Mississippi	27	Arkansas	22
1 Jan. 1969	Arkansas	16	Georgia	2
1 Jan. 1968	LSU	20	Wyoming	13
1 Jan. 1967	Alabama	34	Nebraska	7
1 Jan. 1966	Missouri	20	Florida	18
1 Jan. 1965	LSU	20	Wyoming	13
1 Jan. 1964	Alabama	12	Mississippi	7
1 Jan. 1963	Mississippi	17	Arkansas	3
1 Jan. 1962	Alabama	10	Arkansas	3
2 Jan. 1961	Mississippi	14	Rice	6
1 Jan. 1960	Mississippi	21	LSU	0
1 Jan. 1959	LSU	7	Clemson	0
1 Jan. 1958	Mississippi	39	Texas	7
1 Jan. 1957	Baylor	13	Tennessee	7
2 Jan. 1956	Georgia Tech	7	Pittsburgh	0
1 Jan. 1955	Navy	21	Mississippi	0
1 Jan. 1954	Georgia Tech	42	West Virginia	19
1 Jan. 1953	Georgia Tech	24	Mississippi	7
1 Jan. 1952	Maryland	28	Tennessee	13
1 Jan. 1951	Kentucky	13	Oklahoma	7
2 Jan. 1950	Oklahoma	35	LSU	0
1 Jan. 1949	Oklahoma	14	North Carolina	6
1 Jan. 1948	Texas	27	Alabama	7
1 Jan. 1947	Georgia	20	North Carolina	10
1 Jan. 1946	Oklahoma State	33	Saint Mary's (California)	13
1 Jan. 1945	Duke	29	Alabama	26
1 Jan. 1944	Georgia Tech	20	Tulsa	18
1 Jan. 1943	Tennessee	14	Tulsa	7
1 Jan. 1942	Fordham	2	Missouri	0
1 Jan. 1941	Boston College	19	Tennessee	13
1 Jan. 1940	Texas A&M	14	Tulane	13
2 Jan. 1939	TCU	15	Carnegie Tech	7
1 Jan. 1938	Santa Clara	6	LSU	0
1 Jan. 1937	Santa Clara	21	LSU	14
1 Jan. 1936	TCU	3	LSU	2
1 Jan. 1935	Tulane	20	Temple	14

The Sugar Bowl, first played on New Year's Day 1935, had shared the national championship game in rotation with the other members of the Bowl Championship Series. The first Sugar Bowl national championship game took place in 2000, when Florida State defeated Virginia Tech 46-29.

With the sponsorship of Finnish electronics supplier Nokia in 1995, the game became officially known as the Nokia Sugar Bowl.

Due to the substantial damage suffered by the Louisiana Superdome from Hurricane Katrina, the 2006 Sugar Bowl was played in Atlanta. The game returns to the Superdome in 2007.

Betting on the Sugar Bowl 2007