Georgia has defended their second straight national championship well. Early
on, critics complained about their easy schedule. That conversation ended as
the second half of the season unfolded.
The games against ranked teams began by dominating #20 Kentucky 51-13,
who came into the game undefeated at 5-0.
#12 Missouri was 7-1 when they came to Athens only to lose 30-21.
#10 Ole Miss looked like a real challenge at 8-1. No problem as UGA stunned
them 52-17.
Then, it was at #18 Tennessee. The Bulldogs impressed with a 38-10
shellacking against a large hostile crowd.
They did all of this while dealing with key injuries to Brock
Bowers, Ladd McConkey, Tate Ratledge and Rara Thomas, none of
whom played in last week's win at Georgia Tech.
It remains to be seen which of them will see playing time in the
SEC Championship Game. But, the Dawgs have received valuable contributions
from backup players who stepped in to make a difference. In the passing
game, it's been Dillon Bell. On the ground, Kendall Milton.
Last Saturday, many of us in the press box at Bobby Dodd Stadium
were watching the Alabama-Auburn game, which ended just before the UGA-Tech
game was beginning. We saw a Crimson Tide team struggling to keep up with an
average Tigers team. It took a last minute 4th down 31 yard touchdown
miracle pass to pull out the win.
My comment was, "this is the team that people think will beat
Georgia next week?"
Experts point out the great history of Nick Saban and his
team, who are 8-0 in SEC Championship Games. And the fact that the Bulldogs
have never beaten them in a game in Atlanta.
All are valid points. But, the 2023 version of the Tide is not
those great teams on 2018 and beyond. Yes, their only loss was to #7 Texas
and they've won all ten games since.
But, they didn't impress in a 17-3 win over a 6-6 South Florida
team. They won at Texas A&M 26-20, a team that was so bad this season, that
they paid over $70 million to get rid of their head coach.
Bama squeaked by a 4-8 Arkansas team 24-21 that also did a major coaching
staff shakeup.
That is offset by wins against LSU, Tennessee, Kentucky and Ole
Miss. But, all of those teams have had disappointing seasons.
I thing Georgia wins its 30th straight game by something like 11
points. Anything can happen when Sabin is the coach on the other sidelines.
He finds a way to salvage games that most coaches would lose. But, UGA has
Kirby Smart with a team that has been resilient throughout the season
with a coaching staff that is outstanding on making in game adjustments.
I'll put my money on those guys in this one.