Around the SEC: Georgia's Top Bulldogs in the CFP National Championship

The Georgia Bulldogs will square off against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the CFP National Championship for the second time in the game's history on Monday.

The teams first met for the championship title in early 2018, with Alabama claiming the 26-23 overtime victory. Most recently, they faced off in the 2021 SEC Championship-- a game that Georgia was heavily favored in. However, the Crimson Tide came ready to fight and pulled off a big 41-24 victory to secure a playoff spot for good.

Georgia is heading into Monday night's game with those two losses in mind. The Bulldogs have their best team in years and have a legitimate chance of knocking off the formidable Crimson Tide... if they play as well as they did during the regular season or in their semifinal matchup against Michigan. Can the Bulldogs finally have their way with Alabama after years of trying and falling short?

It's going to take a full team effort to win, but here are Georgia's top three difference-makers heading into the all-SEC championship game.

1. QB Stetson Bennett

Bennett had an unlikely road to the national championship: the senior started as a walk-on quarterback. He earned his starting role after five-star quarterback JT Daniels was injured early in the season. Although Daniels is now healthy, Bennett has proven that he deserves the top spot on the depth chart. Through 13 games played this season, he is 168-of-261 passing for 2,638 yards with 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions. With the help of his supporting cast on both sides of the field, that's certainly good enough to lead his Bulldogs to a national championship victory as long as he executes to the best of his ability.

2. RB Zamir White

The Bulldogs' top running back has been quiet as of late, but he's long overdue for a big day against Alabama. White is a vital part of Georgia's offense and will need to have a career day against one of the top rushing defenses in the entire nation. The junior has totaled 772 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on 147 attempts, but he hasn't scored a touchdown since the team's victory over Charleston Southern on Nov. 20. If White can get back to the level that he was once performing at, then there might be no stopping his Bulldogs.

3. ILB Nakobe Dean

Dean has been one of the most-praised defenders in the nation this season, and for good reason. The inside linebacker from Horn Lake, Mississippi, leads the team with 68 total tackles and has accounted for 10.5 tackles-for-losses and six sacks. Dean is also a turnover-forcing machine: he has caught two interceptions and forced two fumbles this season. It seems like he can do just about everything, but can he have continued success against one of the most explosive offenses in the nation?