Staff Score Predictions: CFP National Championship, Alabama vs Georgia
The Alabama Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs are meeting again at the highest stage college football has to offer -- the CFP National Championship Game.
This is far from the first time these two teams have clashed and in fact, they met quite recently, when Alabama downed Georgia, 41-24 in the SEC Championship Game on Dec. 4. The game was far closer than many expected it to be and was an uncharacteristic one for a Bulldogs defense that has been heralded as one of the best in the country.
Georgia bounced back in a big way with a 34-11 win over the Michigan Wolverines in the Orange Bowl, while Alabama maintained its dominance with a 27-6 victory over the Cincinnati Bearcats in the Cotton Bowl.
Which team gets the win in this rematch? Here's a look at our staff score predictions.
Crissy Froyd - Lead Publisher and Lead Writer
The beating Alabama put on Georgia was shocking in several aspects and raised a lot of questions about whether or not the Bulldogs were as good as their undefeated record suggested and if quarterback Stetson Bennett and the rest of the offense had the power to get the job done against tough competition. Georgia seemed to fill in a lot of the holes that were exposed by Alabama when it topped Michigan, and even though things went awry in the last meeting, this should be a different and much-improved Georgia team than the one that fell victim to Alabama, the team that always seems to find a way to win it all. It's going to be a close one and there's no denying what Heisman quarterback Bryce Young brings to the table as a passer, but Georgia has the edge.
Final score: Georgia 31, Alabama 28
Elizabeth Keen - Writer
Alabama beat Georgia in the 2018 CFP National Championship and in the SEC Championship only a few weeks ago. The Bulldogs are long overdue for a victory over the Crimson Tide, and it looks like they’ve got a good chance of vengefully winning the title this year. Georgia has arguably their best defense in history and are facing an Alabama team that has struggled offensively in key moments this season despite being led by Heisman-winning quarterback Bryce Young. If Stetson Bennett’s offense can keep up with the defense and perform like it did in the regular season, then Georgia should walk away as champions.
Final score: Georgia 24, Alabama 20
Tanner Marlar - Writer
When I’ve been asked the question ‘who are you rooting for?’ This season, I’ve had to give two different answers every single time. The first of which is my answer as a fan, telling me to never in a million years bet against Nick Saban in the postseason, and the second being as a bettor, due to the fact that I figured Georgia’s odds would be very favorable to somebody’s wallet after losing the SEC Championship. That last part isn’t the case though, as the current money line odds sit at UGA -135. To me, that’s just not enough to break my wallet out, so I’ll be sticking with my fan prediction.
Prediction: Alabama 42, UGA 31
