2018 College Football Playoff National Championship Game Picks & Predictions: Alabama vs Georgia

2018 College Football Playoff National Championship Game Picks & Predictions – Alabama vs Georgia: For the second time in the last seven years, a pair of SEC teams will meet to decide the national championship when the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs face the No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide in College Football Playoff National Championship Game this Monday night. In addition to being a battle of conference foes, the game is also a matchup between Alabama’s Nick Saban and his former assistant turned Georgia head coach, Kirby Smart.

Both sides lost to the Auburn Tigers, but the Bulldogs won a rematch to win the SEC and will be playing a virtual home game. Meanwhile, Alabama is in the title game for the third year in a row, and the Crimson Tide are 4-point favorites.

Georgia is fueled by a dynamic, two-headed rushing attack and a vicious defense. Running backs Nick Chubb and Sony Michel have both topped 1,100 rushing yards and have scored a combined 31 rushing scores for the country’s eighth-best ground attack. Middle linebacker Roquan Smith leads a defensive unit that is allowing the fourth-fewest points per game.

The Crimson Tide also boast a top 10 rushing attack. Bo Scarbrough and Damien Harris form a thunder and lightning attack, and dual-threat quarterback Jalen Hurts gives Alabama three plays who have rushed for at least 500 yards and eight scores. When Hurts does go to the air, explosive receiver Calvin Ridley is usually his target. Defensively, Alabama had its usual wealth of talent, and the Crimson Tide are allowing the fewest points in the country and just 94.1 points per game.

2018 College Football Playoff National Championship Game Picks & Predictions: Alabama vs Georgia

The Bulldogs Win If:

For Georgia to win their first national title since 1980, quarterback Jake Fromm has to make enough plays to keep Alabama’s defense honest, and he absolutely must avoid mistakes. If the Crimson Tide can sit back in man-to-man on the outside and load up the box to stop the run, the Bulldogs are going to struggle to put any points on the board. Defensively, Georgia can’t let Alabama establish the run. When the Crimson Tide are able to consistently win the line of scrimmage, it opens up opportunities for Hurts to hit play-action passes down the field and to put the defense in tough spots with his running ability. These team’s have similar strengths and philosophies. If Georgia wins the line of scrimmage and out-runs Alabama, the Bulldogs can win the national title.

The Crimson Tide Win If:

If Alabama is going to add another championship to its impressive history and extend the Saban dynasty, the Crimson Tide need to do what they do best and win the line of scrimmage. Georgia needs to run the ball to be successful, and if the Crimson Tide can force Fromm to have to beat them on third and long on a routine basis, the Bulldogs won’t be scoring many points. It will start with the running game on offense for Alabama, but the Crimson Tide have a potential X-factor in Hurts. If the quarterback uses his mobility to make a few big plays while avoiding any mistakes that might give the Bulldogs easy scoring chances, I don’t think Georgia can keep pace.

Bottom Line:

Smart isn’t the first Saban assistant to find success, and it’s no surprise that Georgia is built in the mold of the Crimson Tide. However, his assistants have struggled when facing off against their former boss. Saban is a perfect 11-0 against former assistants, winning by an average of more than four touchdowns. I’m not expecting this game to turn into a blowout, but I think the Crimson Tide have the slightly better defense and a definite edge when it comes to experience and versatility at the quarterback spot. This is going to be a hard-hitting, lower-scoring game, but no team is better equipped to win this type game than Alabama. Look for the Crimson Tide to come out on top and cover the spread.

Prediction: Alabama Crimson Tide (-4) Cover the Spread

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