Posted on 11/30/2018 2:42:21 PM PST by blam
Tua Tagovailoa
What was it, eleven months ago when Alabama and Georgia met in the national championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta?
Alabama was a 4-point favorite, had an offense that was pedestrian with Jalen Hurts at quarterback and a defense finally healthy and enough firepower to contain Georgia's offense that seemed to have all the pieces for an upset. The first half, Georgia dominated. The second, you know what happened.
When No. 1 Alabama and No. 4 Georgia meet again Saturday in the SEC Championship Game, the Crimson Tide will go in a 13-point favorite.
It might be a good idea for Georgia to adjust the settings. This isn't last year's Crimson Tide.
Georgia? So much of the 2018 Bulldogs look a lot like the 2017 Bulldogs. They have Jake Fromm back at quarterback, a year older and more efficient, and the same cast of playmakers at receiver with Mecole Hardman, Riley Ridley and Terry Godwin. Add Jeremiah Holloman and Tyler Simmons, who have had their moments, to the depth.
Nick Chubb and Sony Michel are no longer in the backfield, but D'Andre Swift and Elijah Holyfield swap out nicely with their versatility, speed and power.
Georgia's defense is still fast, but up front it's not the be all end all unit it was last season. It doesn't have a defensive line like Mississippi State's or Auburn's, or LSU's NFL talent in the secondary.
It does have a picture of what could happen if the last 30 minutes of last year's game plays out over 60 minutes of this year's game.
Facing Tua Tagovailoa in the second half of the national title game, the sophomore quarterback came in for Hurts, had a three-touchdown performance and wiped out a 13-0 first-half Georgia lead. The Bulldogs didn't game plan for Tagovailoa last January but this weekend they say they know what to expect. They certainly know what he can do.
In 12 games, Tagovailoa has completed 70.3 percent of his passes for 3,189 yards, 36 touchdowns, two interceptions, and five rushing touchdowns. He leads an offense that averages a staggering 49 points per game. If he doesn't have the best group of receivers in the country with Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs, Irv Smith, Jaylen Waddle, and DeVonta Smith, who does? Oklahoma? Clemson? Ohio State? Those are guesses, not the answer.
Unlike last year's methodical offense, this year's Tide is a touchdown waiting to happen. It leads the nation in passing plays of 20-plus yards with 70, in large part because of Tagovailoa's deep ball accuracy and elite protection from his line. The Bulldogs, it should be noted, are tied for second in the nation in fewest passing plays allowed over 20 yards, giving up 19.
Georgia's pass rush has to disrupt Tagovailoa to guarantee the Dawgs a playoff invitation, but that could be a problem. Last season Georgia got to the quarterback on 34 occasions. It has 20 sacks entering Saturday, 101st in the nation.
Last year the sports books saw a close game and it was, Alabama 26-23 in overtime.
This year the Tide opened a 10-point favorite and the line has jumped to 13.
This is the best offense Nick Saban has had in a quarter century as head coach.
It doesn't always play the readiest, so a Citadel or Auburn first half could turn up on the stat sheet. Georgia isn't a team you'd want to take a couple quarters off.
This week's picks:
SEC Championship Georgia (11-1) vs. Alabama (12-0)
The No. 4 Bulldogs are in the College Football Playoff if they defeat No. 1 Alabama. The Tide? It likely can afford to lose if push comes to shove. If that happened, the CFP Committee would look at its one-loss pool of Alabama, Oklahoma and Ohio State (if OU and OSU win as expected this weekend) and, after factoring in all the things it factors in, will determine OU's loss was to a 9-4 Texas team and the Buckeyes' loss was by 29 points, a really embarrassing 29-point loss, to a 6-6 Purdue team.
Routing Michigan 62-39 last week and hanging another blowout performance on Northwestern in the Big Ten title game would be huge for OSU, but Alabama owns the best Power 5 record (4-0) in the latest playoff poll. But that's if the Tide loses.
If Georgia loses, a two-loss SEC team is going to feel the wrath of SEC fatigue from the committee after LSU, which dismantled the Bulldogs last month and has a killer resume, lost for the third time last week at Texas A&M. With offense a big part of Alabama's and Georgia's DNA, both averaging over 40 points a game, a shootout seems logical. Maybe a skinny shootout.
Alabama 36, Georgia 30
“North Avenue Trade School”
Cackle...
We resemble that remark
OSU should be disqualified from any consideration for a playoff spot on the basis of their one loss to Purdue High School. :-P
I meant “not going to lose”
No, more likely to be disqualified because he tried to help someone save a marriage years ago.
That is not a recipe for success in college football. It's amazing that this pattern has continued for nearly 40 years with the Georgia football team.
Uh ... whut?
Disagree. A close loss by Alabama keeps them in the hunt. Oklahoma nor Ohio State would be more deserving. Just facts. If Georgia loses then an equal result between Ohio State and Oklahoma should put Oklahoma in the playoffs.
You think OU or OSU could beat Georgia?
FYI, the SEC has 4 teams in the top ten for a reason.
Look at all the SEC national champions over the last 15 years or so.
What team or conference do you support? When did they last win a national championship?
And wtf are YOU smoking?
BTW, I am a disjointed PSU fan that hates the direction of PSU football and will never get over the Sugar Bowl PSU vs Alabama.
Enjoy the big game. I know I will. #RollTide
The Ohio State coach was suspended at the beginning of the season because Zack Smith’s wife may have told Urban Meyer’s wife that Zach had been mean to her years ago.
Remember, it’s the seriousness of the charge, not the proof thereof, that counts. So Ohio State should be excluded from the national championship because of third hand hearsay.
Accusations of abuse being, of course, not uncommon in messy divorce cases where one side is trying to gain financial advantage. Sometimes, they are even true.
Does that explain why Ohio State lost to Purdue High School by 29 points in the eighth week of the season? :-)
Well, Penn State did win the National Championship against Dawgs in the Sugar Bowl. Back in the old days when they could match up the two best teams in the country.
How does a team that loses to Purdue High School by 29 points get to play for a national championship under any circumstances?
Sure. Meyer was back at the helm. Players lost their motivation.
As a Gator.....Roll Tide! The evil leghumpers must be stopped.
Back in those days, conference champions received automatic bids to the major bowl games: the Southeastern Conference champion to the Sugar Bowl, the Big 8 champion to the Orange Bowl, and the Southwest Conference champion to the Cotton Bowl. The Big 10 and Pac-10 champions played in the Rose Bowl.
With that arrangement in place, an independent team always had the ability to see the rankings at the end of the season and then accept a bid to play the highest-ranked team in one of the major bowls (except the Rose Bowl, of course). So if Nebraska ended the season ranked #1 and Miami was #2 (or vice versa), then Miami would accept a bid to the Orange Bowl to ensure that they were playing for the national championship.
This also explains why there were so few Big 10 or Pac-10 national champions from that era. Since those conference champions had to play each other in the Rose Bowl no matter how good or bad the opponent was, they never had the opportunity to "force" a matchup against a #1 or #2 team. This cost Penn State a national title in 1994, when they finished the season undefeated and ranked #2 but were forced to play #12 Oregon in the Rose Bowl while #1 Nebraska and #3 Miami matched up in the Orange Bowl.
My boy is a freshman at Georgia Tech. THWG!!
And who is going to replace Paul Johnson????
Bama is in, win or lose
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