Good morning. Welcome to Leadoff, today’s early buzz in Atlanta sports.
There's a 47-percent chance that Alabama and Georgia will meet again at Mercedes-Benz Stadium this year.
That’s according to ESPN’s initial 2018 Football Power Index (FPI) projections, which were released Wednesday.
Alabama defeated Georgia in overtime Jan. 8 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the national championship. If they meet there again this year, it will occur Dec. 1 in the SEC Championship game.
FPI has Georgia with a 42-percent chance of repeating as SEC champion and Alabama with a 37-percent chance of winning the conference title.
But that doesn’t mean the index ranks Georgia ahead of Alabama at this point.
Actually, it ranks Alabama No. 2 in the nation and Georgia No. 3 but tilts the SEC-title odds in Georgia’s favor “because Alabama is in the SEC West and therefore has a more difficult conference schedule.”
As for who’s No. 1, FPI is adamant: Clemson. “Dabo Swinney has his team in better position for another playoff run than any other team in the nation.”
See the full report here.
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