After a roller coaster of upsets, excitement, and exceptional college football action this season, the 2021-2022 College Football National Championship has something of a comforting familiarity to it. Can the Alabama Crimson Tide land another title? Will the Georgia Bulldogs bring a championship back to Athens for the first time since 1980? Let’s take a look at the current Alabama vs. Georgia odds and make a pick and prediction for the 2021-2022 College Football National Championship.
Alabama vs. Georgia prediction and odds | 2021-2022 FBS Championship
- Spread: Georgia -2.5 (Odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook)
- Moneyline: Georgia -140, Alabama +120
- Over/Under: 52
Alabama vs. Georgia betting trends
Are you brimming with confidence that the Bulldogs can help you bolster your bank account? Are you all-in on Alabama for this 2021-2022 College Football National Championship? If you’re looking to make a little money predicting the future, it’s worth considering the past before you lay down your hard-earned cash.
Of course, we have some very recent past as a good point of reference to kick us off. Just one month ago, Alabama vs. Georgia was the matchup for the SEC Championship Game. The Crimson Tide came in as a 6-point underdog, the first time they weren’t favored this season. With a consummate display that secured his Heisman candidacy, Bryce Young led Alabama to a 41-24 win and guaranteed his team a place in the College Football Playoff.
The Crimson Tide will play the underdog role once again
Despite that win, Alabama enters the title game as a slight underdog. Nick Saban-led teams thrive on an underdog mentality. Even if Georgia sneaks a win on Monday, I’d be willing to bet that the game would finish within the 2.5-point line currently available from DraftKings Sportsbook. It’s worth noting that this has already diminished from the 3-point line that opened the week.
The last three editions of Alabama vs. Georgia have all surpassed the 52-point total line currently available. However, the two teams are 13-15 against the over this season. Furthermore, the last time they met in the CFP National Championship, the two teams combined for just 49 points. With the expectation that Georgia’s defense plays more like the win over Michigan than the SEC Championship Game, prepare for a tight game.
Alabama vs. Georgia prediction
Having met just a month ago, it’s tempting to describe Alabama vs. Georgia as a rematch. However, both teams, both coaches, and both sets of players have spent the week leading up to the 2021-2022 National Championship dismissing the notion that this is a rematch of the SEC Championship. This is the biggest stage, a stand-alone game, a different game plan.
Can history give us any insight?
History — recent or otherwise — counts for nothing. Yet, it’s difficult not to get caught up in the history of this Alabama vs. Georgia rivalry, born not out of geographical familiarity but a relentless collision course of college football powerhouses forever intertwined by their conference alignment.
It’s perhaps understandable that Georgia wants to disassociate this matchup from both recent and longstanding history. They trail the Crimson Tide 42-25-4 in head-to-head encounters. The defeat in the SEC Championship Game was the latest defeat in a seven-game skid that has included three such SEC defeats and, of course, the 2017-2018 National Championship Game.
History, however, is there to be learned from. How can we expect the future to be different if we don’t recognize the mistakes made in the past? Just one month ago, Alabama shut down the Georgia run game. Their offensive line held off a historic — there’s that word again — Bulldogs defense, surrendering zero sacks. The Crimson Tide defense found their own success, consistently pressuring Stetson Bennett, resulting in 2 interceptions.
Will history repeat itself?
Then, there is Bryce Young. The Heisman-winning Alabama quarterback proved an elusive thorn in the side of the Georgia defense in the SEC Championship. His escapades of escapology both inside and out of the pocket have earned him various nicknames this week, ranging from “The Gingerbread Man” to “Houdini.”
He has been the epitome of a difference-maker. Whether you want to ignore history or not, Young is once again the man that Georgia will need to game plan for.
Winning the trenches is key
How can the Bulldogs stop history from repeating itself in the CFP National Championship? It begins with execution. The defense that allowed less than 7 points per game ahead of the SEC Championship Game didn’t suddenly become average overnight. The Alabama offensive line has shown that it isn’t impenetrable this season, and the Bulldogs have the weapons to find the chink in that armory. The Michigan offensive line was allegedly the best in the nation, and the Bulldogs found a way. They can again.
Games are won and lost in the trenches. Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo were nullified by Jamaree Salyer and Warren McClendon in the semifinal. During the lead-up to this Alabama vs. Georgia matchup, Salyer spoke about the change in mindset that led to a noticeable increase in performance. This line knows they’ll need to be at their best to give Stetson Bennett time to find George Pickens and Brock Bowers and give James Cook lanes to work on the ground.
It’s hard to beat a good team once. Beating a good team twice in the span of a month is even harder. As a result, I don’t expect Georgia to roll over and succumb to a sizeable defeat again. They have all the pieces in place to land their first College Football National Championship since 1980. However, overcoming a Nick Saban-led Alabama team with Young under center, Jameson Williams at wide receiver, and the best player in the nation in Will Anderson might just prove too hard for the Bulldogs.
Crimson Tide vs. Bulldogs Prediction: Alabama 27, Georgia 24