The end of the college football season is near, with Week 14, Conference Championship week upon us. We’ll cover fourth ranked Alabama as they square off against the current #1 in the country Georgia, in the SEC championship.
Can Georgia cap off their magical undefeated regular season with a conference championship or will the big game experience of the Crimson Tide be too much for them to prevail. As we dive into this game we’ll highlight each team, give three ‘Players to Watch’ and finish with my game prediction.
Alabama
The Crimson Tide come into this Championship game with a record of 11-1. Their lone loss you may ask? A then unranked, 8-4 Texas A&M team. The rest of the season has been a breeze for the Crimson Tide, beating four top-25 schools and handling the rest of their schedule without issue. What will Nick Saban and Alabama have to do to beat the Georgia Bulldogs and capture their 29th SEC title, sending them straight to the CFB Playoffs?
Offense
Alabama’s offense has been electric this season season with Sophomore quarterback Bryce Young taking center stage. Young has had a season to remember in his first year in Tuscaloosa. He’s thrown for 3900 yards and 40 touchdowns, while averaging 325 yards per game and 13.5 yards per completion. Young does have 14 INTs; he’ll have to do a better job of taking care of the ball if he wants to beat the nation’s best defense.
The young quarterback has led the Crimson Tide to the 7th best passing offense in college football. With Alabama’s season on the line, winning this game rides on Young’s shoulders. Bryce Young is my first ‘Player to Watch’ in this game.
Young has some very talented players around him at the skill positions. To me, receivers Jameson Williams, and John Metchie III stick out the most. Both wideouts have over 1000 yards, with Williams leading the way on 61 receptions for 1,261 yards; averaging 105 yards per game. Williams has 13 touchdowns on the season and ranks 9th in college football in receiving yards.
John Metchie has had an equally impressive season, logging 90 receptions for 1,045 yards and averaging 87 yards per game. The wideout has found the end zone seven times this season. This season he’s ranked 26th in receiving yards. It will be interesting to see how the duo will fair when they take on the stellar Bulldog pass defense.
With the Crimson tide ranking 77th in rushing offense, you’d think they are having absolutely no success. This is far from the truth, with Senior running back Brian Robinson Jr having himself a good season. Robinson ranks 38th in rushing yards, averaging 92 yards per game. He’s also ranking 82nd in yards per carry with 4.9.
Defense
The Alabama defense has been stout, ranking 7th in total defense. They are 4th against the rush giving up an average of 80 per game, 2.4 yards per carry.
The Tide’s passing defense however has shown some weaknesses throughout the season. They rank 42nd in passing yards allowed, giving up 213 per game and 10 yards per completion.
Will the defensive side of the ball be Nick Saban’s saving grace or biggest downfall?
Georgia
With Georgia undefeated at 12-0, what should we expect to see as Georgia looks to take down the goliath that is the Crimson Tide? Georgia looks to rebound in this championship game, as Joe Burrow and LSU embarrassed the Bulldogs the last time the team was in a title game.
This Georgia team has been superb, especially on defense. The Bulldogs will bring the best rated defense with them; with an impressive 3rd ranked rush defense in college football. Don’t forget about the Georgia pass defense, as they rank second overall in college football in yards allowed.
Offense
Georgia ranks 60th in the pass and 25th in the rush. Despite the bad passing rank, quarterback Stetson Barnett has been sensational for the Bulldogs this season. He’s thrown for 1,985 yards, averaging 180 per game and 16.8 per completion – which leads the FBS.
Barnett has tossed 21 touchdowns to only 5 interceptions. With a lackluster running offense that ranks 25th in the country, the play of Barnett will either make or break their undefeated season. Stetson Barnett is my second ‘Player to Watch’ in this game.
Looking at the Georgia rushing attack, they primarily use a two-running back backfield. The team ranks 25th in college football in rushing offense. The team’s rushed often, with little production to show for it.
Junior Zamir White has had a good chunk of the snaps at halfback, rushing 128 times for 691 yards. He’s averaging 57 yards per game and 5.4 per carry. White has accounted for 10 touchdowns on the ground. His counterpart, Senior James Cook, has recorded 90 carries for 581 yards. He’s averaging 48 yards per game and 6.5 per carry. He has knotched 7 touchdowns in his Senior campaign. Can the two backs from Georgia put together a good enough game to take down the Crimson Tide?
Defense
The Georgia defense has been truly remarkable, especially with the pass rush. Georgia is T-5th in college football for sacks with 41. The team is averaging 3.4 per game, with four players tallying over 4 total sacks.
Their pass defense has been all-around elite. The team’s only giving up 151 yards through the air per game, giving up 8 yards per completion. Two starting defensive backs and a linebacker each have 2 interceptions.
Their rushing defense has been equally great as well; with everybody doing their part to shut it down. The Bulldogs rank 3rd in college football against the run. They’re only allowing 78 yards per game and 2.4 per carry.
The last ‘Player to Watch’ in this title game will be Senior defensive lineman Jordan Davis. Davis has had his Heisman chances increase with his recent play. Davis has 24 total tackles and 2 sacks, but he’s not just in the Heisman race for stats alone. He plays a key role in helping everybody on the Georgia defensive line make plays. Who will come out victorious in this title game; the Dawgs ferocious defense or the electric Tide pass offense?
Game Predictions
- Bryce Young throws for 200 yards and 2 touchdowns with an interception
- Stetson Barnett throws for 250 and 3 touchdowns
- Jordan Davis gets a sack and a tackle for loss, helping the Bulldogs hold the tide to under 150 rushing yards
Final Score Prediction
Georgia 27 – Alabama 24
