2.5* Alabama +3 (-117) The 3 might come into play. Wouldn't that be something? Georgia wins the game, and Bama covers. Georgia looked amazing in crushing Michigan. Their defense is one of the best in college football in recent years, if not the best. Only an offense like Alabama's could solve it. They did once and I think they'll do it again. Alabama really played pretty vanilla vs. UC, running the ball and not showing too much. In the NC game, it won't be the case. One of the reasons I am taking the Tide is that in the SEC Championship Game, Bryce Young really moved so well both around the pocket, and when he had to run. His improvising against this Georgia defense will be crucial. Young didn't run much during the season because he's too valuable to risk an injury. But this being the last game, don't be surprised to see it much more. He's elusive and can also throw on the run.
Stetson Bennett was excellent vs. Michigan, who also has a top-notch defense. Yet in the SEC Championship Game, he made too many errant throws. He had two ints, but could have had two more that Alabama DBs failed to catch. He sits in the pocket a little too much. Now Georgia also has plenty of weapons on offense, and I expect they'll score enough to keep the game close. I just don't know if they will have enough deception to keep Bama's D off balance. Even though Georgia's defense gets a lot of acclaim, Bama's is loaded with great players too- many that will be playing on Sunday. They are missing a key CB, but depth is not a problem for them, and I expect the drop-off will be slight.
I don't buy into the idea that Alabama is guaranteed to continue their winning streak vs. Georgia. Streaks like that get broken all. the time. Things like that tend to even out. But I do think Alabama might be the looser team, with an offense, in their last game, that will throw the kitchen sink at Georgia. Gonna be a great game to watch.