Three Storylines to Watch in the All-SEC CFP National Championship

Before the All-SEC CFP National Championship kicks off tonight, there are a few questions that remain about both teams and the season as a whole.

Georgia and Alabama will face off in the 2022 CFP National Championship tonight in Indianapolis.

This is the second time that the teams have met in the title game since the adoption of the CFP Semifinals and National Championship in 2014. The two teams faced off in the championship back in 2018, with the Crimson Tide claiming the 26-23 overtime victory. Alabama also recently won the 2021 SEC Championship over Georgia, giving the Bulldogs their only loss of the season.

Georgia is looking for its first national championship since 1980, while Alabama is trying to claim its fourth title in seven years. With the big matchup only hours away, here are three storylines to watch throughout the evening.

Has it truly been an "off-season" for the Crimson Tide?

Alabama might be 13-1 on the season, but some of those victories have not come easily. The team's lone loss came on Oct. 9 against Texas A&M-- and head coach Nick Saban's former assistant, Jimbo Fisher. They also barely handled the Florida Gators, pulled off a six-point victory against a 6-7 LSU team, traded blows in a high-scoring affair against Arkansas and narrowly defeated rival Auburn in four overtimes. The Crimson Tide has looked weaker this season, but if they can lock up another championship, their critics will be silenced.

Will Alabama QB Bryce Young live up to the post-Heisman hype?

Young was named the recipient of the 2021 Heisman Award over Michigan defensive end Aiden Hutchinson, Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett and Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud. Stats-wise, the quarterback had an outstanding season-- Young was 331-of-490 passing for 4,503 yards with 46 touchdowns and five interceptions. However, he struggled in some key moments this season. Young can truly prove that he is the top overall football player in the nation if he can have an outstanding performance tonight.

Can the Bulldogs bounce back defensively from their last performance against Alabama?

All season, Georgia has had arguably their best defense in history. The Bulldogs only gave up an average of 9.64 points and 259.6 yards per game this season but had an absolute meltdown the last time they faced Alabama. Giving up 41 points and losing to a team that they were heavily favored to beat had to have embarrassed Georgia's defense, so they will be out for revenge. The key to the Bulldogs' success lies largely in their defense and how well it can recover from giving up so many points in their only loss of the season.