Georgia and Alabama will meet at 8 p.m. Monday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, fresh off their semifinals victories against Oklahoma and Clemson, respectively.
ESPN will televise the game.
Here are five things to know about the Bulldogs-Crimson Tide matchup in the deciding game of the College Football Playoff.
1. Common loss: Auburn fans will cover their eyes Monday night. The Tigers defeated Georgia and Alabama in their regular-season meetings, only to end up watching their fiercest rivals face off for the national title.
Auburn massacred visiting Georgia 40-17 on Nov. 11. It was the Bulldogs’ first and only loss. The Tigers were hotter than any team in the nation at the time.
Unfortunately for them, they had to see Georgia again in the SEC Championship game. After playing a close game for three quarters, Georgia pulled away for a 28-7 win.
Alabama lost 26-14 in Auburn two weeks after Georgia’s mishap. The Crimson Tide were battered by injuries and their inconsistent offense couldn’t piece together enough drives.
But that game might’ve actually been a win. Alabama got to sit out conference championship week, watch Georgia top Auburn in the rematch, then sneak into the College Football Playoff anyway.
As it would turn out, the Auburn losses didn’t ruin Georgia’s or Alabama’s season, despite how it appeared at the moment. The Bulldogs avenged their loss, while the committee kept its faith in Alabama.
Georgia and Alabama will reference film in each other’s losing efforts, however. Auburn’s the only one to figure them out.
2. Since then: The teams last met in 2015 on a rainy October day in Athens, with Alabama destroying Georgia 38-10 and beginning the downward spiral that led to coach Kirby Smart taking over the program.
Alabama is the same as it was on that day, but Georgia looks nothing similar.
After being embarrassed at home, the Bulldogs lost to rivals Tennessee and Florida in detrimental fashion. They and coach Mark Richt parted ways after the season, opening the door for Smart.
Georgia went 8-5 in Smart’s first campaign, experiencing several ups and downs that understandably made some question the coaching decision. Smart’s erased any doubt over the past four months, sweeping the SEC East for the first time in school history and capturing Georgia’s first conference title since 2005.
Alabama went on to Clemson in the 2015 championship. Deshaun Watson and the Tigers got revenge last year on a last-second score. Like Georgia will this time around, Alabama started a freshman quarterback in Jalen Hurts in 2016.
The Crimson Tide saw the Tigers again in this year’s playoff, dominating in a 24-6 win. As most Clemson fans knew, Watson made a big difference.
Georgia is striving to be where Alabama has been. Regardless of how Monday turns out, the Bulldogs are a lot closer today than they were on Oct. 3, 2015.
3. Nick and Kirby: Alabama coach Nick Saban and Smart have been closely connected since 2004. Saban bounced from LSU to the Miami Dolphins to Alabama, and Smart was with him along the way.
There was a brief break – Smart coached UGA running backs in 2005 – but otherwise, Saban and Smart became well-known as college football’s dynamic coaching duo.
Unlike most Saban disciples, Smart didn’t jump at his first head coach opportunity. Spectators wondered why Smart wouldn’t leave Saban’s side to take over his own program after accomplishing all a coordinator can.
Reality is, Smart was proved wiser than many of his coaching counterparts. Saban assistants have garnered a reputation for underwhelming after departing, most recently exhibited by former Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Jim McElwain’s failure at Florida.
But Smart was never in a rush. Perhaps he was waiting for his alma mater to come calling, but whatever the reason, he decided staying with Saban for “too long” was for the best.
As one former star Bulldogs player said, Smart brought a needed culture change. He has complete control of the program, much like what Saban established at Alabama. He’s managed to replicate Alabama, a task that’s failure has often costed other coaches their jobs.
If this season is any indication, Smart’s patience paid off. Two short years after leaving his longtime friend, he’ll have the chance to become the first assistant to finally outdo mentor Saban.
4. Complementary quarterbacks: Both teams are a showcase for winning without a star at the game's most important position.
That’s not to criticize Hurts or Georgia freshman Jake Fromm. They’re simply not the catalyst to either team’s success.
For Hurts, having a defense plush with NFL talent is a quality de-stresser; not to mention an explosive run game and massive offensive line. Hurts has come through when he’s needed to, and it’s helped to be put in optimal position.
The same can be said for the other sideline. Fromm has the best pair of running backs in the country. His defense hasn’t been half-bad either.
Unlike Hurts, Fromm was thrown into action unexpectedly. An injury to Jacob Eason in the season’s first game put Fromm in the spotlight.
Georgia’s win over Oklahoma brought out the best in Fromm, and while his running backs dominated as usual, he showed he can step up in pressure moments. With Georgia rarely playing close games in the regular season, it was an encouraging takeaway from the Rose Bowl.
Hurts likely won’t need to beat Georgia, but Fromm will be needed for a Georgia upset. More often than not, the teams to beat Saban’s Crimson Tide have had a Watson, Cam Newton or Johnny Manziel to make plays most normal signal-callers can’t.
It takes a quarterback’s best to defeat Alabama’s defense. Hurts can just play his role and win the trophy. Fromm might have to go out and take it.
5. How they win:
Alabama: Using the same formula that's always worked. The Crimson Tide manhandle the opposition in the trenches, and even Clemson's NFL-caliber lines didn't stand a chance.
Hurts shouldn’t need to do too much, just operate the offense. Damien Harris and Bo Scarborough will be tested against a strong Georgia front seven, but they’re still running behind an equal-or-superior offensive line.
Alabama’s rare losses usually are the result of wasted offensive opportunities (last year’s championship, Auburn in 2017) or untimely turnovers (the Ole Miss mishaps in 2014 and 2015). If it protects the ball and stays within the game plan, the Crimson Tide should withstand Georgia’s best.
Georgia: The Bulldogs will need to fire on all cylinders – meaning a much better defensive performance than a week ago - plus catch a little luck.
Pressure will fall on Fromm if the Crimson Tide can even somewhat contain Sony Michel and Nick Chubb. Georgia has won so easily largely because of its physicality and size advantage over other foes. That won’t be the case Monday.
More than any past opponent, Alabama can limit Georgia’s rushing offense. Fromm played well against Oklahoma, but he’ll need to be even better here.
Smart built the Bulldogs in Alabama’s image, which may be unfortunate in this case given that Georgia will have a hard time beating Alabama with its own formula.
Forcing turnovers is paramount. Alabama has more talent; Georgia needs a couple of breaks to go its way, however they come, in addition to Fromm again playing far beyond his age.
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