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Bulldogs can beat Notre Dame...can they beat Alabama first?

By Don Stone - Football Atlanta

   Watching the game in Athens on Saturday, the Bulldogs looked like they could do anything they wanted on the field. Now, the question is can they do it again this Saturday?
   After coming home, I watched the Notre Dame game with obvious great interest. My only previous attention to them was listening to their triple overtime game with Pittsburgh on the way home from the UGA-Ole Miss game. In listening to that one, my impression was that they didn't have much of an offense and that their defense was ok, better in the red zone. But, I definitely didn't come away thinking they were the top team in the nation. They did have to go to three overtimes just to beat an unranked Panther team that finished at 5-6, 2-3 in the weak Big East and didn't even qualify for a bowl game. In fact, the only reason they won was because Pitt missed an easy field goal that would have ended the game.
  I thought ahead while watching the game last night in California and was nervous. My goal would be for the Bulldogs, if they can beat Alabama, to face Notre Dame in the National Championship Game...for two reasons. One, it would be a rematch of the 1980 game when UGA and Hershell Walker beat the Fighting Irish in the last time they won it all.
  But, mainly, I thought that the Dawgs matched up better against Notre Dame than a rematch against an improved Florida team or someone else like Oregon.
   So watching USC holding their own against the Irish for most of the game just gave me a feeling that #1 Notre Dame would get knocked off its perch. After the game, the media experts analyzed the game and were falling all over themselves praising the Fighting Irish and how they had this great goal line stand to preserve their undefeated season. They certainly did well in that situation. But, it was more the inept handling of the clock and play calling from Lane Kiffen than anything. The Trojans were playing the entire game with a freshman quarterback who had never started before. And, they were down by 10 at that point, so a touchdown would still have left Notre Dame ahead with not much time for USC to score again. The Trojans had the ball on the one yard line with over six minutes to go and squandered most of the clock on the same running play going right up the middle when both sides were wide open for a run or a pass. By the time they were done, nothing was left on the clock.
   Does anyone realistically think this Notre Dame team should be ranked above Georgia or Alabama? Only because they haven't lost to anyone in twelve tries? They will be just because an undefeated team usually gets ranked ahead of one loss teams. But, if you're the Bulldogs, would you rather play them or the Crimson Tide?
  Going into this SEC Championship Game on Saturday, you have to like UGA's chances against Alabama. You might not have said that a month ago. But, when the Tide needed a miracle finish to beat LSU, then lost to Texas A&M at home, they looked beatable. Since them, they have put up 49-0 wins against terrible teams in Western Carolina and Auburn. But, the Dawg offense is running on all cylinders at a high level. And no one seems to be noticing the incredible job the defense has done. Since falling behind 10-0 with Ole Miss, UGA has allowed a total of 24 points in the last 14 quarters, 14 of them meaningless points at the end of games.
  Its tough to tell how well Georgia will do against Alabama on Saturday. Most of the experts are not even considering the possibility that they can win. But, if they do, I feel they'll have a much easier game in Miami against Notre Dame. The real national championship game is at the Georgia Dome. Whoever wins that will also beat the Irish.