Just A Minute: Title Game or Not, the Elephant in the Room is Still the Elephant in the Room
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Ask anyone playing the National Championship Game, or the coaches, about Alabama and Georgia squaring off in a rematch, and they'll pretty much give you the same answer.
The past is the past. This is a different thing.
It is. But history could still play a part Monday in Indianapolis.
The Crimson Tide is riding a seven-game winning streak against the Bulldogs, a stretch that includes three SEC Championship wins and one national title game that went to overtime.
Each time Alabama ripped Georgia's heart out.
Yes, the Bulldogs will try and use that as motivation. They'll come out fired up from almost endless button-pushing from Scott Cochran and others.
Once the ball is kicked off, though, it all will come down to execution.
Alabama tackle Evan Neal said every game has an identity of its own, but take a closer look at what else was said about the rematch. This won't be re-inventing the wheel in terms of approach and scheme. It could look like a continuation of what we saw in Atlanta last month when the Crimson Tide pulled out a 42-21 victory.
"I don't think it's tough having to play somebody twice," defensive coordinator Pete Golding said.
"They don't put in new plays each week. They're just getting to them differently. It's a different formation, different shift. They're putting a guy in a different stop. They're tweaking things. But it's still what they do, it's their bread-and-butter.
"Defensively how can you keep things the same but make them look different."
Linebacker Henry To'o To'o: "They're going to play their game."
Wide receiver Jameson Williams: "We have to prepare for the little wrinkles and the corrections they made and we can just play great football off of them."
Above all else, this will primarily be a game of tweaks and adjustments, which gives Alabama an advantage in one area especially on top of Nick Saban: History.
If the Crimson Tide comes out and scores right away, or takes the lead on a big play at any point, it'll be extremely difficult to suppress the "Here we go again" thoughts, especially considering the setting.
That's the elephant in the stadium, and could end up deciding the national championship.
Alabama Athletics
