Jan 10, 2022 - Sports

Breaking down Alabama vs. Georgia

Kendall Baker

Photo illustration of Bryce Young, Nick Saban, Kirby Smart and Jordan Davis. — Photo illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Photos: John Bunch/Icon Sportswire, Kevin C. Cox, Marianna Massey, Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images.

Alabama and Georgia will play for a championship Monday night — five weeks after their SEC title game matchup, and four years after their national title game thriller.

State of play: The Bulldogs are slight favorites to win their first championship in 41 years, but they've lost seven straight to the Crimson Tide, who have won a casual six national titles in 14 years.

Game info:

Kickoff: 8pm ET
Lines: UGA -2.5 | O/U: 52.5
Venue: Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis)
How to watch: ESPN (Main telecast), ESPN2 (Film room with Jimbo Fisher), ESPNU (Command Center), ESPNews (AT&T 5G Skycast) and more.

The intrigue: The QB matchup is fascinating. On one side is Bryce Young, a former five-star recruit and Heisman winner. On the other side is Stetson Bennett, a former walk-on who uses a flip phone.

By the numbers:

25-1: Nick Saban boasts a 25-1 record against his former assistants, including a 4-0 record against Kirby Smart.
9.64: Georgia has allowed just 9.64 points per game this season, by far the best mark in the nation (Clemson is second at 14.85).
61%: The crowd is projected to be 61% Georgia fans, per Vivid Seats. And the top two cities for people traveling to Indy this weekend are Atlanta and Athens, per Airbnb.

Notes:

Top prospects: This game features 17 of Todd McShay's top 100 prospects, including Alabama OT Evan Neal (3), Alabama WR Jameson Williams (6), Georgia LB Nakobe Dean (8), Georgia DE Travon Walker (14) and Georgia DT Jordan Davis (26).

Fun fact (for Georgia fans): Since 2008, six teams have squared off in bowl games after meeting in the regular season. The teams that won the first meeting all lost the second meeting.
Fun rewind (for Alabama fans): It's hard to forget what happened the last time these teams met on this stage. Tua to DeVonta ... Bama wins in overtime.

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Breaking down Alabama vs. Georgia

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