It’s the rematch you knew was coming once the playoffs were set.
Bama took care of a deserving G5 Cincinnati Bearcat squad in Dallas while the Dawgs just ran through Michigan like a bad burrito from a broken down food truck does one’s intestines. After the Tide beat Georgia in the SEC Championship, it just felt like this is the game we would see on January 10 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indy ( ZT notes he is a fan of Lucas Oil products as are most people driving 25-year old pick up trucks with doors that don’t match ).
ZT gets it….most around the country are pulling for Georgia, if for no other reason, to see a new face on the top of the chart. 1980 was the last Natty for the Bulldogs but they are absolutely good enough to take it this year. The SEC Title loss appears to have strengthened the focus of a team that was sailing through the season like a cruise ship in the Caribbean until they were hit by a Crimson Wave in Atlanta.
Before we go a little deeper, congratulations to the North Dakota State Bisons who won the FCS title Saturday over the Montana State Bobcats 38-10 to win their 9th FCS title in the past 11 years.
Division II Champion this year was none other than hockey powerhouse Ferris State Bulldogs who finished undefeated after beating D2 power Valdosta State Blazers.
In Division III, Mary Hardin-Baylor of Belton, Texas also finished a perfect 15-0 season and another championship with CRUnk the Crusader leading the charge.
Padre is preparing for the Gators Walk-On Tryout Meeting on Monday but took time to prognosticate the Natty.
The rematch. Crimson vs. Cherry. Real Red vs. fire engine childhood toy red. Cool nickname vs. horribly unoriginal nickname. Simple historic helmets vs. Green Bay wannabe helmets. Original city name vs. a city named after a much more famous version of the city ( like going to Paris, TX ). Blood red ( which gives us life ) vs. the color of devil red ( which is, well, the personification of evil!!!! ).
And yet, as much as I cannot stand the smelly K-9s from wanna be Greece, rematches do not usually go well for the original winner. If this were 2 out of 3, I would take Bama. But its not. It’s all rematch. Georgia is more talented. So… Georgia 30 Bama 23
I now need some Pepto mixed with a Valium. Dawg fans with a Natty? Lord help us all. Every other billboard throughout the state of Georgia will be a Natty celebration. Gas Station videos at the pump will replay the game over and over and over. The state house and the Governor will probably give kids off at school to go to the celebration in Athens to hang out with Socrates. Oh….Socrates is UGAs twin brother. They don’t even have original names for their puppies! Roll Tide!!! Beat Georgia!!……but the Dawgs find a way. Yuck!
Ok, I made up the Socrates part. But I do want to point out that the original Athenians built the Parthenon. The Athenians in Georgia built an on campus arch with a column in the middle……. GO Gata!!!!
OK…time to get to the big one and ZT has added several brain supplements to his regiment to “up his game” for this one. They include coffee bean extract, green tea extract, Ginko Biloba extract and something called Toothed Clubmoss ( ZT thinks this sounds like a nickname for an ugly girl who is a regular at a redneck bar). You will know late Monday night if any of this has any prognostication value!
Bama, 2021 version, is a talented young team that has shown flashes of brilliance with periods of vulnerability throughout the season. On Offense, Heisman QB Bryce Young will have to run the ball more than he has most of the season. WR corp is still lead by OSU Transfer ( thanks again Buckeyes! ) Jameson Williams but the Tide lost John Metchie III in the SEC game, Two capable guys in Bolden and Brooks but you don’t just replace a Metchie. Bama just ran it against Cincy but don’t see that plan working vs. the Dawgs. Tide will have to use RBs Robinson and Sanders in the run and short passes to keep Georgia honest on Defense. The O-Line, that has been hot & cold, is dealing with some injuries and has got to field 5 that can play solid for 60 minutes to have a chance against the best D-Line in the country. Georgia Defense has to dial up some pressure from the front 7 ( no sacks in the SEC game ) with some improved coverage to change the tone. ZT expects to see more blitz packages this time around.
For the Dawgs, It may not ALL rest on QB Stetson Bennett but it is obvious he needs to play more like he did vs. Michigan than in the SEC game. No reason he should not be solid as he has thrown for over 2,600 yards, 27 TDs and only 7 INTs this year, although 2 of those were vs. Bama. Tide will be short some assets in the Secondary with CB Jobe out and Armour-Davis questionable. Likely means 2 Freshmen covering those spots. ZT impressed with Dawgs RBs Zamir White and James Cook. Same story, get enough production to keep the defense honest and open it more for Bennett.
So….lot of “if this happens, then..” noted but that is why the game is played and these computer models that simulate the game 10,000 times are no more accurate ( for sure against the Vegas spread ) than a wino in an alley flipping a quarter. The only history in this series that will matter once the ball is snapped is that it is very hard to bet against a Nick Saban team in a Championship game. As one sportswriter said ” If you bet on Nick Saban and you lose, it was still the right bet!”. I hear ya….. ZT has looked at this from every angle and sees this as a close game but Georgia gets that thing they have been chasing for 41 years. It won’t be easy but they get it done this round. Dawgs 28 Tide 24
Pigskin Prognostications by the Piedmont Padre and Zimmern's Twin 