Georgia football fans already at fever pitch inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium
The Georgia football nation has been waiting a long time for a moment like this, and the fanbase is already amped up with a little under an hour until kickoff.
When your team hasn’t played for a national championship since Ronald Reagan was president, it’s easy to become excited when that moment arrives. Inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Georgia football fans are already at a fever pitch.
As fans are filing into the stadium for the College Football Playoff National Championship following some pregame tailgating and partying, the excitement is evident.
The giant halo scoreboard inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium shows season highlights for both teams, but when Sony Michel’s game-winning touchdown run in the Rose Bowl comes into view, a sudden burst of noise and energy overcomes the stadium, even with only a small part of the capacity being filled thus far.
It’s clear Georgia football fans are ready for this game.
The Bulldogs have their work cut out for them tonight against Alabama, and this clash of SEC neighbors may come down to a final play, just as in the 2012 SEC Championship game.
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When these two teams have met as ranked opponents in the past, Georgia does have the edge, winning five of the eight meetings. But in the Nick Saban era, Alabama has dominated, winning three straight ranked meetings in 2008, 2012 and 2015.
Several national writers have chimed in with their own predictions for the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
Beginning to think this game is decided off tackle.
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) January 8, 2018
UGA has the TE’s to help & Bama is thin there.
UGA has better edge defenders & Bama a great LT.
CFP National Championship Game picks are up. My pick: Georgia 24, Alabama 17https://t.co/uZoZeunryT pic.twitter.com/s8bmGeB2YC
— Barrett Sallee 🇺🇸 (@BarrettSallee) January 8, 2018
I’m picking Nick Saban and #Alabama tonight, but think we’ll be witnessing a changing of the guard in the SEC starting next year with #Georgia when Kirby Smart gets Justin Fields, D’Andre Swift together. #RollTide #GoDawgs #CFBNationalChampionship
— Matt Lombardo 🏈 (@MattLombardoNFL) January 8, 2018
I picked Oklahoma to beat Clemson in the Natty. Not sure why. But Sooners are peaking at the right time. Alabama not so much and I’m still not sold on Georgia. Go ahead and favorite this. It’s a tough job picking a winner.
— Lisa Horne (@LisaHorne) December 21, 2017
Certainly no consensus among the experts, but if you listen to the fans inside the stadium, you definitely have to feel Georgia can come away with an upset win against Alabama.
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One thing is certain, regardless of the winner in tonight’s national title game, the American football public outside the SEC is going to be fatigued from all the conference chest-thumping coming from this game.