The Georgia Bulldogs have not been in this position of trying to win a college football national championship since 1980 when a freshman running back named Herschel Walker led them to the title.
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This year, the Bulldogs are paced by two senior running backs who hope to help freshman quarterback Jake Fromm pull off the upset in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game as 5-point underdogs against the Alabama Crimson Tide on Monday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
The big question is, can Georgia’s Nick Chubb and Sony Michel come close to playing like they did versus the Oklahoma Sooners last Monday in a 54-48 double-overtime victory in the Rose Bowl? Chubb and Michel combined for 326 rushing yards and scored six of the team’s seven touchdowns in the thrilling national semifinal matchup.
With that win, the Bulldogs have now covered the number in each of their last four games, and they have gone 10-4 against the spread overall this season.
Meanwhile, Alabama’s defense was the difference in a 24-6 victory against the defending national champion Clemson Tigers in the Sugar Bowl. Two interceptions for the Crimson Tide turned a close game into a blowout, including one that was returned for a touchdown with 5:27 remaining in the third quarter.
In fact, Alabama scored two touchdowns after turnovers within 13 seconds of each other in the third after leading 10-6. The team brings a 24-1 mark straight up in its last 25 games against SEC opponents into this title contest and has won the past three meetings with Georgia dating back to 2008.
However, injuries took a toll on the Tide down the stretch of the regular season, and they suffered another key one versus Clemson when linebacker Anfernee Jennings went down with a sprained knee and then underwent surgery.
Alabama has been known to have great depth under Nick Saban, who has seen many players leave early for the NFL on an annual basis. That depth will be put to the test as Saban tries to win his sixth national title, which would tie Bear Bryant for the most ever.
