College Football Playoff: 5 Bold predictions for National Championship Game

An all-SEC showdown will take place in Atlanta for the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Here are five bold predictions for Alabama-Georgia.

Alabama and Georgia haven’t played since Kirby Smart left Tuscaloosa to take over the Bulldogs program two years ago. For over a decade, Smart worked alongside Nick Saban at his various stops. Smart was the defensive backs coach for LSU in 2004 before going to Georgia as a running backs coach. He reunited with Saban after just a year apart, working as a safeties coach with the Miami Dolphins before joining the Crimson Tide staff.

Smart played a major role in Alabama’s rise back into a powerhouse, building one top-shelf defense after another. He finally got the chance to take over his own program when his alma mater came calling. A defensive back for the Bulldogs between 1995 and 1998, Smart headed back to Athens and now has them in range of a shot at the school’s first national title since 1980.

First, though, Georgia must go through Alabama. Despite winning the SEC title, the Bulldogs have to play another conference game on the same turf where they beat Auburn for the conference crown. There was plenty of controversy after Alabama got the nod into the College Football Playoff ahead of teams like Big Ten champion Ohio State. Just as they did in 2011, the Crimson Tide earned a chance to play for a national championship despite failing to even win their division.

When given the shot, Saban’s crew earned a spot in its third straight title game with a 24-6 takedown of Clemson. Smart’s Bulldogs mounted a furious comeback to defeat Oklahoma in a historic first-ever overtime Rose Bowl game. In general, it has been a down year for the SEC. But Georgia and Alabama redeemed the season for the league by guaranteeing one of its members will win another national championship.

Will it be the Bulldogs or the Tide walking away with the College Football Playoff trophy? Keep reading for five bold predictions about the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship.