Final Thoughts: Georgia vs. Michigan

Just under an hour away from kicking off the Capital One Orange Bowl, No. 2 Michigan and No. 3, Georgia will face off for the right to advance to the national championship in Indianapolis on January 10th.

The latest betting odds show Georgia as a touchdown favorite over the No. 2 ranked Michigan Wolverines. Here are our final thoughts.

Utilize Quick Game Passing Early

Michigan runs an abnormally high amount of man coverage on defense, with two skilled safeties presiding over the top of their defense, offering helps to their cornerbacks. So a big question for the Georgia offense is how they will respond to man coverage, specifically press-man coverage.

In years past, the 2019 season specifically, Georgia's receivers had problems creating separation against press-man coverage. Not only is the secondary a potential worry for Georgia, but they also will have the worry of Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo coming off the edge.

We all saw Alabama torch Georgia's secondary in the SEC Championship, trying to hide an under-performing offensive line with quick game passes early, trying to eliminate Georgia's defensive line, and putting the onus on Georgia's secondary.

We suspect that Georgia will take a page out of Alabama's playbook and make Michigan's secondary beat them.

Get Back to the Basics on Defense

Michigan and Georgia are two very similar football teams; both are built around their talent in the trenches. It is no secret that Michigan is a run-first offense, rightfully so with the talent of Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum in the backfield, Michigan will try and impose their will on the Bulldogs and run straight at Georgia's defense.

One commonality in Georgia's first 12 games this season is the tenacity and physicality shown in stopping the run. Georgia's front four is a big reason for Georgia's success against the run game. It is also the same unit held sackless versus Alabama for the first time since October of 2019.

Georgia's defense as a whole is upset with the performance they put on film in Atlanta last time out; instead of drowning in their sorrows, Georgia's defense will try to get back to what they do best.

Georgia Jumps Out to an Early Lead

Georgia is one of the best teams in the first quarter; even after the Alabama loss, Georgia still jumped out to an early 10-0 lead in the first quarter of the SEC Championship again. The opening script's offensively for Georgia this season deserves huge credit for the early success in the first quarter of games.

Not to mention Georgia's defense is usually sharp early and keeps teams out of the endzone. Georgia's offense will start quick and ride that momentum into the rest of the game against a talented Michigan team.

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