College football: 25 biggest what-ifs of the 2010s

College football: 2010s biggest what-ifs: 11. No Tua time

The 2017 college football season was the year that it would finally happen. For the most part, teams that face off against Alabama cower in fear. The end result is a one-sided blowout. With that said, the Georgia Bulldogs had absolutely no fear of what Alabama brought to the table.

Everything was on the line during the National Championship game. Heading in, Alabama was considered a prohibited favorite but it was the Bulldogs who jumped out to a quick 13 point lead. All season long, head coach Nick Saban could depend on quarterback Jalen Hurts to get the job done. While he wasn’t the most accurate player around, his legs often got him out of trouble. On this night, however, he was God awful.

Despite playing the entire first half, Hurts only mustered up 21 passing yards and no touchdowns. In most instances, Saban would have stayed with his starter and attempted to coach him through it. That, of course, would have ultimately resulted in a loss. So instead of going down with the ship, Saban inserted Tua Tagovailoa and the rest is history. Tagovailoa threw for 166 yards, three scores, including the game winner in overtime, and only one interception. That was all she wrote for the Bulldogs.

But while Saban should be applauded for making the switch, what would’ve happened if he stubbornly stuck with Hurts. A blowout loss for his Alabama is the likely result, along with a big hit on his pristine resume. Georgia fans wish Hurts stuck around. If he did, they could’ve claimed their first title almost four decades. Welp, back to the drawing board.