For fourteen weeks the Georgia Bulldogs were considered the class of the FBS, going a perfect 12-0 en route to an inevitable showdown with rival Alabama in the SEC Championship game. How quickly things can change in the span of a single game. Georgia was the number one ranked team in the College Football rankings, and were a near touchdown favorite to knock off the Crimson Tide in Atlanta on Saturday. It was the first time since 2015 that Alabama had been an underdog. The last time it happened? Against Georgia in a game that the Crimson Tide won handily by a score of 38-10
On Saturday, Nick Saban and Bryce Young marched into Atlanta, and scored 41 points on the top defensive unit in the country. The next highest score that Georgia had allowed this season was 17 points to Tennessee in Week 11. In the final College Football rankings of the season, Georgia fell to third place, while Alabama took over as the top rated program in the country. Just a few weeks ago, when Alabama was having difficulty putting away teams like Arkansas and Florida, many in the industry predicted that Alabama wouldn’t even make the College Football Playoffs. Now, the Crimson Tide are ranked first and the clear cut favorites to repeat as College Football Champions.
So what will it take for the Bulldogs to get back to the College Football Championship in a revenge game against Alabama? The defense is legit, that’s for sure, but the defensive line had trouble penetrating Alabama’s backfield and Bryce Young had all day to pick his spots against the Georgia secondary. It’s not that Georgia’s defense isn’t as good as we think, but the Alabama offensive strategy was completely different than anything they had faced this year.
The offense will also need to be sharper and that starts with quarterback Stetson Bennett who had a good statistical game, but was also intercepted twice and sacked three times. Bennett seemed hesitant at times, and that cost him against a potent Alabama pass rush. The Bulldogs also need more from their running game, with James Cook and Kenny McIntosh limited to 38 and 32 yards respectively. To beat Alabama, you need a complete game from all facets of the team.
Before Georgia can see Alabama again they can’t look past their opponents in the Orange Bowl on New Year’s Eve. The Michigan Wolverines may play in a weaker conference, but Harbaugh’s boys are playing legitimate football right now and their massive win over Ohio State showed they can go toe to toe with any team in the country. Harbaugh has the Wolverines playing hard-nosed football with a potent running game and potentially the best defensive unit in the nation behind Georgia. It will be a slugfest on New Year’s Eve, and online sportsbooks are expecting Georgia to win as they opened as a touchdown favorite over Michigan.
Most of all, Georgia and head coach Kirby Smart will have to exercise the Alabama demons that seem to get them every year. There is no question Saban has Smart’s number, and the Bulldogs will need to overcome the big brother little brother relationship in the SEC. Georgia has the potential to win it all, and they may even open as favorites against Alabama again in the College Football Playoff. But Alabama has the psychological edge over the Bulldogs, and I for one would never feel great betting Georgia to win against Alabama if the two teams were to meet again in January.
>> For December Only: 100% Sign Up Bonus at Youwager Sportsbook. Sign up at Youwager to collect yours.
Add Comment