On Monday night, it's Alabama vs. Georgia for all the pigskin-covered marbles.
And when it comes to pre-picking the winner of the College Football Playoff National Championship Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, "informed" opinions are about as plentiful as wings at a pregame tailgate. From Vegas oddsmakers and ESPN-y experts to your grandma and the guy who cuts your lawn, everyone claims to have the inside scoop on the outcome.
Credit: Photo: wsbtv.com None 2018 Getty Images Photo: Sean M. Haffey, Getty Images Photo: wsbtv.com Photo: Matthew Stockman, Getty Images Photo: Chris Graythen, Getty Images
Credit: Photo: wsbtv.com None 2018 Getty Images Photo: Sean M. Haffey, Getty Images Photo: wsbtv.com Photo: Matthew Stockman, Getty Images Photo: Chris Graythen, Getty Images
Pay no attention to them. Here at the AJC, we’ve dug deep into the stats, studied the depth charts and factored in some key on- and off-the-field “intangibles.” The result is a tale-of-the-tape comparison of UGA and the University of Alabama that points to a winner you can totally take to the bank. Or the end zone, or … well, never mind, just know we’re right about this.
After all, if you can’t trust the Atlanta media, heh, heh …
Credit: 2018 Getty Images
Credit: 2018 Getty Images
LOCATION
UGA: Athens, population approximately 115,000. Named for the city in ancient Greece that was the birthplace of democracy and a center of the arts and learning. Home to the Georgia Museum of Art, the State Botanical Garden and music superstars R.E.M. and the B-52s.
Alabama: Tuscaloosa, population approximately 99,000. Named for Tuskaloosa, chieftain of the Muskogean people who were defeated by Spanish forces in 1540. Home to a museum named for former Alabama coach Paul W. “Bear” Bryant and Coleman Coliseum, which has hosted WCW wrestling.
Winner: Please. Whose name literally sounds like “loser”? UGA, all the way.
Credit: Tamar Hallerman
Credit: Tamar Hallerman
COACHES
UGA: Kirby Smart, 42, was born in Alabama, but grew up in Bainbridge and went to UGA. He played defense for the Dawgs, then married into local royalty: Wife Mary Beth was Miss Georgia Basketball in 1999.
Alabama: Nick Saban, 66, was born in West Virginia, played football at Kent State, then coached at 10 different places before winning his first of five (so far) national championships, at LSU, in 2003. Next stop: the NFL's Miami Dolphins, where he announced "I'm not going to be the Alabama coach." Twelve days later, he was the Alabama coach.
Winner: UGA. All roads to this year's national championship run through Atlanta. One guess which coach will be able to find Georgia and stay there long enough to actually win the thing.
MASCOTS
UGA: Georgia's English bulldog, Uga, has long been a college football favorite. It was recently voted by USA Today as the best mascot in the sport.
The white English bulldog was the first of a long line of canines that have served as the beloved four-legged embodiment of Georgia sports. Today, Uga X reigns over a Bulldogs team chasing its first national title since 1980. The line of pure white English bulldogs has been owned by the Frank W. "Sonny" Seiler family of Savannah since Uga I first graced the campus in the 1950s. Uga has been on the cover of Sports Illustrated and even starred in the best-selling book (and then a movie) "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil."
Alabama: Meanwhile, Big Al is the costumed elephant mascot of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa. So what's the connection between the Crimson Tide and the elephants painted on the floor?
According to Alabama’s website, the association goes back to the 1930 season, to a story written by Everett Strupper of The Atlanta Journal. Strupper’s story describes the power of the Alabama team and mentions an excited fan bellowing, “Hold your horses, the elephants are coming.”
Strupper and other writers continued to refer to the Alabama linemen as “Red Elephants,” the color referring to the crimson jerseys.
Back in the 1930s and 1940s, Alabama borrowed an elephant from a zoo for several homecoming events at the stadium.
Otherwise, Alabama sticks to a costumed elephant. Don’t expect to see any live elephants at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Meanwhile, Uga X will be there in the flesh and fur.
Winner: Uga, not even close.
GPAs
The average high school GPA of freshmen at the University of Alabama is 3.72. That makes the university competitive, and you’ll need a mix of A’s and B’s, with more A’s than B’s to gain admission.
Still, Alabama is not as competitive as UGA, which boasts an average high school GPA for freshmen of 4.0.
Winner: UGA, obviously.
Credit: ccompton@ajc.com
Credit: ccompton@ajc.com
FOOTBALL COMPARISON
In a look at this year's seasons, Georgia has the edge on total offensive yards (6,164) over Alabama (5,846) and number of rushing yards (3,743) to Alabama (3,325), but Alabama takes the lead with average points per game with 37.9 to Georgia's 36.3, and a lead in passing yards of 2,521 to Georgia's 2,421.
In the end, Georgia and Alabama are two terrific football programs. With the Bulldogs’ talented running backs, and Alabama’s dominating defense, these two programs with storied histories in the sport set the stage for a special SEC matchup right here in Atlanta.
Winner: We’ll see, but I think you get the pattern here.
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