GEORGIA BULLDOGS VS. ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE PICKS, PREDICTIONS, ODDS

SEC schools collide in this year's College Football Playoff National Championship with the Alabama Crimson Tide looking for its eighth straight win against the Georgia Bulldogs. Opening kick is set for 8:00 p.m. ET and will air on ESPN from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.

SCORE PREDICTION

Georgia 27, Alabama 20

BEST BETS

Under 52.5 (-110) at Westgate SuperBook

GEORGIA BULLDOGS VS. ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE PREDICTIONS

Nick Saban hasn’t lost to the Georgia Bulldogs since his first year with the Alabama Crimson Tide. Saban has led the Crimson Tide past the Bulldogs in three SEC Championship Games over the last decade and in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game four years ago. Despite that success, Georgia is a short favorite against Alabama in Indianapolis on Monday night.

These games haven’t been as low scoring as you might think given the identities of Georgia and Alabama. The Bulldogs and Crimson Tide have met 10 times over the last two decades, and every one of those games had at least 48 points. That history makes the under a risky bet, but it’s the right one given the talent on Georgia’s defense.

Georgia should finally be able to top Alabama and win this program its first national championship in over four decades. The Bulldogs were caught off-guard by the Crimson Tide offense in the SEC Championship Game, but that won’t happen in the rematch.

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GEORGIA BULLDOGS VS. ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE BETTING ODDS

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GEORGIA BULLDOGS VS. ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE BETTING RESOURCES

  • Matchup: National Championship
  • Date: Monday, January 10, 2022
  • Venue: Lucas Oil Stadium
  • Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
  • TV-Time: ESPN, 8:00 p.m. ET
  • Weather Report

GEORGIA BULLDOGS BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

  • SU: 13-1
  • ATS: 9-5
  • O/U: 6-8

Stetson Bennett IV has had a solid season as Georgia’s starting quarterback. The Bulldogs don’t ask too much of him in this offense, but he is averaging 10.1 YPA. Bennett didn’t throw for more than 300 yards in any game during the regular season, yet he has topped that number against both Alabama in the SEC Championship Game and Michigan in the Orange Bowl. That’s not what Kirby Smart wants Georgia to be doing in this game though, as Smart wants to grind on Alabama’s front seven and rely on this defense.

Georgia has a bevy of talented running backs. The Bulldogs will likely rely on Zamir White and James Cook in this game, as they were the two running backs that had more than 100 carries in the regular season. Georgia ran the ball 35 times for 190 yards against Michigan on New Year’s Eve as the Bulldogs had over 500 total yards of offense against the Wolverines.

Tight end Ben Bowers has been the top target in the passing game. Bowers is the only Georgia player with more than 30 receptions, as he has 52 catches for 846 yards and 12 touchdowns. However, George Pickens could be in line for a big day. Pickens only recently returned from a torn ACL, and he has been a monster in Georgia’s bowl games during his time with the program.

The Bulldogs’ defense was gutted by Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. Georgia allowed 41 points and 536 total yards in Atlanta, and Smart is determined to keep that from happening again in Indianapolis.

This front seven did a good job bottling up the running backs. Alabama’s Brian Robinson Jr. and Trey Sanderscombined to carry the ball 22 times for just 76 yards last month. However, the Bulldogs were unable to sack Bryce Young, and the secondary had some real trouble with the passing game.

Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean are the two big names on this defense, but there are maybe eight or nine starters on this defense that will be playing on Sundays in the near future. Georgia will want to make amends for its performance against Alabama in the first meeting, and we won’t see Alabama have nearly as much success.

ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

  • SU: 13-1
  • ATS: 8-6
  • O/U: 7-7

Young has been incredible for Alabama this season. Young became the first Crimson Tide quarterback to win a Heisman Trophy after throwing for over 4,500 yards with 46 touchdowns against just five interceptions. He was brilliant against Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, completing 26 of 44 passes for 421 yards with three touchdowns.

Young might end up struggling in the rematch though. This offensive line has had some trouble stopping creative fronts and blitzes at times, leading to Young being sacked 35 times this year. He isn’t extremely mobile either, so he cannot make as much happen with his legs as other quarterbacks.

We saw Alabama’s offense sputter a bit in the Cotton Bowl against Cincinnati too. It was the first full game where the Crimson Tide didn’t have star receiver John Metchie III, and the Bearcats were able to contain the passing game and Jameson Williams. Young threw for just 181 yards (6.5 YPA), and Williams had just seven catches for 62 yards.

Williams has been the most explosive receiver in the country this season. He is averaging 20.1 YPR for the Crimson Tide, and he had seven receptions for 184 yards and two scores against the Bulldogs last month. Alabama doesn’t have a complementary receiver to take the pressure off Williams with Metchie out though.

Slade Bolden is the next leading receiver with 35 receptions for 364 yards and three touchdowns. The only other players with more than 15 receptions are tight ends Cameron Latu and Jahleel Billingsley, and running back Robinson Jr. They won’t bother the Georgia defense.

Alabama’s ground game won’t be able to have much success against Georgia’s front seven. The Crimson Tide don’t have an elite offensive line this year, while the Bulldogs have world beaters along the defensive line and at linebacker. Robinson and Trey Sanders will both struggle to get going.

This Crimson Tide defense has one superb player in Will Anderson Jr. Anderson has 17.5 sacks, and he should have been a Heisman Trophy finalist. Henry To’o To’o is a strong linebacker too, but otherwise this front seven lacks playmakers up front.


Alabama has won seven straight games when facing Georgia. (AP) 

INSIDE THE STATS - GEORGIA BULLDOGS

  • Record: 13-1
  • Points Scored: 546
  • Points Allowed: 135
  • PS/G: 39 (9th)
  • PA/G: 9.6 (1st)

INSIDE THE STATS - ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE

  • Record: 13-1
  • Points Scored: 580
  • Points Allowed: 269
  • PS/G: 41.4 (3rd)
  • PA/G: 19.2 (13th)

KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH

  • UGA: Stetson Bennett - QB (168/261, 2,638 yards, 27 TD, 7 INT)
  • UGA: Brock Bowers - TE (52 catches, 846 catches, 12 TD)
  • BAMA: Bryce Young - QB (332/491, 4,503 yards, 46 TD, 5 INT)
  • BAMA: Brian Robinson, Jr. - RB (248 carries, 1,268 yards, 14 TD)

GEORGIA BULLDOGS VS. ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE BETTING CONCLUSION

Georgia will finally claim its third national championship on Monday night. It’s been a long time coming for the Bulldogs, and Kirby Smart will be grinning from ear to ear as Georgia uses the old Alabama formula to knock off the Crimson Tide.

GEORGIA BULLDOGS VS. ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE BETTING TRENDS

  • Alabama has won seven straight games when facing Georgia.
  • Alabama has covered the spread in five of its last six games when facing an AP-ranked Top 15 school.
  • The point total has gone OVER in four straight meetings.
  • The underdog has covered the spread in four of the last five meetings.