Saturday Spotlight: SEC Championship
(1) Georgia Bulldogs at (3) Alabama Crimson Tide
Georgia: I expected them to be good this year. There was never a doubt in my mind about them winning the SEC East. I didn’t see them winning the division in the way they did! They simply imposed their will against each opponent and let them taste defeat. Over the years, I’ve seen some really good defenses in college football. This unit is by far one of the best I’ve seen. When I tell you they have no weaknesses, I mean that. They have a defensive line that can penetrate up front and attack the line of scrimmage, a group of linebackers that can roam from sideline to sideline along with a secondary that’s able to lock down in the back end. This Georgia defense is special and can force turnovers with ease. One thing that has flown under the radar because of how dominant one side of the football has been, is the offense. Despite key guys missing time due to injury, they’ve been able to coast along and push the football up and down the field. JT Daniels was the projected starter coming into the year and he’s been nursing injuries throughout the year. In comes, Stetson Bennett and they’ve still been able to click. After a rough 2020 season, Stetson has impressed me. He ranks second nationally in yards per attempt and he’s also a mobile threat with his feet. Also, they can display their balance and versatility with their running back and how they can pound the football in the tackles with the running game. Today, they play in the SEC title game.
Alabama: They’re SEC West division champions. Tell me a time when you haven’t heard that saying before. Each year, you can always anticipate them to cruise through their schedule, win their division, and be considered as one of the four teams to make the College Football Playoff. This year was different for them because they were upset at the hands of the Texas A&M Aggies which gave them their first regular-season loss for the first time since 2019 when they fell short to the eventual-champion LSU Tigers that year. After that loss to A&M, I kept saying they had to play carefully because one more loss would mean they wouldn’t qualify for the playoffs because they would have two losses. I’ll be honest, I haven’t been happy with the efforts of the Alabama defense. If you’ve watched them all those years when they were winning national titles, the defense was always the strong point of the team. This year, I see a unit that has a tendency of giving up the big plays down the field. They were sloppy against Arkansas a few weeks back and they needed four overtimes against Auburn in the Iron Bowl. They’re human after all. The offense on the other hand has been remarkable. Bryce Young is the real deal. He reminds me some of Russell Wilson with his mobility and pocket presence. He’s one of the favorites to win the Heisman. They’ve become a heavier passing team because of injuries in the backfield. Today, they will look to capture another conference title.
Georgia X-Factor: Nakobe Dean– I’ve been following him closely this year. What a player Nakobe is! This kid is everywhere on the field and then some. Talk about traveling to the football, that’s what he does better than any other linebacker in the country. Nakobe is a hard-hitting, speedy linebacker with the ability to cover and rush the passer. I’ve seen him come in on blitzes and get to the quarterback untouched. He’s one of the best all-around linebackers in the game.
Alabama X-Factor: Slade Bolden– There’s always that one piece that can be the forgotten piece because of the other guys who draw so much attention. Slade is one of them. He’s another wide receiver that provides Bryce with another weapon on the offense. If you’ve followed along with me closely, I always say every offense has that chain mover. That’s Slade’s role within this Tide offense. They call upon his number to get that conversion. He’s a versatile weapon in this offense.
Final Thoughts: This is the game we’ve been waiting for since late September. All these months later, here we are! These two meet again on yet another big stage! We talk about Jim Harbaugh getting the monkey off his back by beating Ohio State, how about Kirby Smart? He’s yet to beat Alabama. In fact, he’s 0-3 all-time against Nick Saban. The major key for Alabama will be to keep Bryce protected because this Georgia defense is going to throw many different looks at him. This will be the best defense that Bama has seen all year and for Georgia, this will be the top offense they’ve played. Also, this will be the toughest team the Bulldogs have played since Clemson in week one. I see the game coming down to who can limit the run more consistently. Can kickoff get here already?
Prediction: Georgia 27, Alabama 24
