Tide’s offense will fall short, National title goes to the ‘Dogs
Hubris. A word associated with Alabama teams past and present. The belief that the Tide is better than the opponent, and will undoubtedly win, is and continues to be the mindset of most college football fans.
Once again, we see Alabama as the favorite in Nick Saban’s seventh national title appearance, sixth with the Tide. Alabama is 5-1 in national title games under Saban, with the first lost coming last year against Clemson.
So why wouldn’t Alabama again be the favorite in this national title game? It is the perfect program, after all. It boasts top-5 recruiting classes year in and year out, the top of the college football heap in terms of athletic facilities and is virtually a farm system for the National Football League.
Clemson shocked the nation last season when it did what no team has been able to do thus far, defeat Saban and his Tide in a championship game.
I expect the Georgia Bulldogs to continue the trend.
Alabama stands a 4.5-point favorite as of this writing. As the game approaches I expect the line will trend towards the favorite due to Alabama’s strong defensive performance against Clemson.
This is misleading. I believe the Tide was better prepared and more motivated when it took down Clemson last weekend, avenging its last-second national championship loss a year ago.
Georgia faced adversity in the Rose Bowl against Oklahoma. A 17-point deficit was answered with 24 straight points from the Bulldogs to claim their first lead of the game. A clutch blocked field goal in overtime led to the eventual game winning score from Sony Michel.
It was the kind of win that energizes a team. The type of win that breeds great confidence and desire to go above and beyond. That’s exactly what the Bulldogs are poised to do this coming Monday.
Alabama played its championship in the semifinal game against Clemson. The Tide will arrive at the championship stage to find a more dynamic and reinvigorated opponent in Georgia.
Georgia has the better offense. Jake Fromm has shown incredible poise as a true freshman. Michel and Chubb in the backfield make the ground game downright lethal.
Saban’s tenure at Alabama has been underwhelming on the offensive side, aside from the years Lane Kiffin was his offensive coordinator.
Jalen Hurts is incredible, and a force to be reckoned with. But Georgia, after overcoming Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield, should be up to this challenge.
The Bulldogs’ defense can play to nearly the same level as Alabama’s. Georgia’s head coach, Kirby Smart, designed some of the great Alabama defenses of recent vintage.
The Tide’s offense is far less explosive and easier to contain than Georgia’s. Uninspired play-calling on Alabama’s part could be a continual problem.
This one is going to be close. A couple of explosive plays will help Georgia gain a foothold late, and I think these Dogs can pull off an outright victory here.
Get ready for “the changing of the guard volume two” on Monday night. Alabama goes down for the second straight year in the national title game.
Take Georgia at +3.5 or better. Don’t forget to consider the moneyline.