Tony Finn bowls 3* 2-0 4* 3-4 5* 0-2
so as not to fill up the service play forum, I posted the analysis here
Analysis:
PLAY: Alabama Crimson Tide -3.5 (good to -6) 4% rating
The 2017-18 college football season has come down to the final game, the last two schools standing, when Georgia and Alabama meet in Atlanta for the CFB Playoff. Nick Saban and his Bama squad square off against former assistant Kirby Smart and his Bulldogs.
While neither Saban nor Smart take the field donning shoulder pads or helmet the coaching in the championship game has always held an intrigue. And for the most part, be it the CFP title tilt, or regular season events, Saban has presented a dominance over former assistants.
The dominating performance by the Tide in their Sugar Bowl win over Clemson was nothing short of impressive. Alabama’s offense once again is the deepest in college football, especially at the running back position. And the defense is again considered a Top-five unit even with a number of injuries at the linebacker position.
Smart has Georgia began the season by winning the school's first nine games. This included earning a "W" versus Notre Dame, taking the Florida Gators to the woodshed with their one loss coming against a good Auburn group that, is in many ways, the mirror image of Bama. Georgia got a second chance at Auburn, in the SEC Championship contest, and walked away with a 28-7 victory. The Rose Bowl holiday event, the semi-finals for the CFP, saw the Bulldogs secure a 54-48 win over Oklahoma in double overtime.
The two teams that take the field in Atlanta tonight haven't had a head-to-head contest in over two years, since 2015, with the Crimson Tide owning a three-game winning streak over the Bulldogs.
While watching film and boxscores of these two teams make it more than likely both teams will want to be run-first and duke it out in the trenches it would be irresponsible to believe that neither coaching staff isn't going to be creative in this title game.
Bama isn't going to let the Bulldogs push them around like Smart and his offense did to Oklahoma, gaining 317 yards and averaging over 9 yards per carry in the Rose Bowl victory.
Georgia receives most of the credit for being the better rushing offense behind the NFL legs of Chubb. However, what Saban and his staff did to Clemson via the ground attack, 141 yards on 42 carries, was more impressive, considering the two team's opponents.
Expect to see both coaches load the box tonight and force the offenses to, again, be creative, with more pass plays than you will hear or read.
While Chubb has rushed for 1,320 yards and 15 touchdowns this year and shared the running duties with Sony Michel who ran for 1,129 yards, there is a third option for the Dogs at tailback. Freshman D’Andre Swift ran for 603 yards and three scores this year. Where the hay is made with this Georgia offense is their line, a unit that has been as good as any in college football.
The balanced rushing attack of the Dogs is even more level among the Bama player personnel. RB Damien Harris leads the Crimson Tide running game. Harris recording 983 yards and 11 touchdowns and did so on a mere 129 carries this year. There is Bo Scarbrough (573 yards and eight TD's), Najee Harris (306) and Josh Jacobs (276) throwing in their two legs to the offensive ground and pound. And of course Saban and his staff also have the legs of quarterback Jalen Hurts who rushed for 808 yards and eight touchdowns this year.
Considering that both of these coaches know each other well, and what has been the bread and butter to the two team's success, a low-scoring game would surprise me. Read the season long stat block and you will find that Alabama has limited their opponents to an average of 11 points a game and Georgia 16.
A ground and pound attack by both teams isn't logical, or reasonable, considering the intellect of these two staffs. The Tide has surrendered just four yards a play this year and the 'Dogs 4.5.
Bama has allowed less than 100 yards per game on the ground this year, on average, while Georgia has contained the opposition’s running attack giving up just over 120 yards per contest. Additionally, neither team has been touched by the big runs from scrimmage this season. The championship tilt duo have combined to allow just two runs of 40 or more yards during the regular season, plus semi-event, in 2017-18.
Year after year, be it in college of the NFL, you will hear that defense wins championships. The Alabama defense was better a season ago than this year, and the year before, ditto. Last year's CFP final score found Clemson scoring 35 points against the Tide. Bama put up 31 against a good Clemson defense.
Clemson rushed for just 91 yards against last year's Tide "D" while throwing for 420 yards.
And while both teams bring the reputation of being defensive to Atlanta with the intent on stacking the box on first down. But this game will be about both coaching staffs trusting their quarterbacks. The results will be mixed. With both head coaches knowing that the team that does a better job of passing the ball winning this title event.
Hurt has been in this situation before while Fromm hasn't. He has the legs to damage the Georgia defense and he doesn't throw interceptions, at least he didn't during the regular season giving the opposing stop-units just one on the year.
Fromm on the other hand is a freshman on the biggest stage in college football. And he is a true freshman mind you. Neither Hurts nor Fromm has had to throw the football 30-plus times to win games in their careers. But that isn't the case tonight.
Neither of these two coaching staffs are so slow that they believe they are going to win with defense and a running game tonight. That makes less sense than anything when game-planning for this event. The two SEC school's have won with defense and their running attack this year while both have done a great job of preventing the opposition from being their clones.
Both Hurts and Fromm have been excellent at taking care of the ball all year. I don't, however, believe the status quo will hold serve tonight due to the necessity to throw the ball 30-times to win and/or lose tonight.
The truth is that both quarterbacks will be tested through the air tonight. And both will have their successes and their failures. The more experienced team and coaching staff wins and it would also be a surprise to see this game not get completely outside the norm if Bama garners a 14-plus point lead.
Big win for Saban and his crew tonight and they do so scoring big points.
ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE -3.5
===============================================================================
Analysis:
PLAY: OVER the TOTAL of 44.5 (good to 46) 3% rating
(151) ALABAMA at (152) GEORGIA
The 2017-18 college football season has come down to the final game, the last two schools standing, when Georgia and Alabama meet in Atlanta for the CFB Playoff. Nick Saban and his Bama squad square off against former assistant Kirby Smart and his Bulldogs.
While neither Saban nor Smart take the field donning shoulder pads or helmet the coaching in the championship game has always held an intrigue. And for the most part, be it the CFP title tilt, or regular season events, Saban has presented a dominance over former assistants.
The dominating performance by the Tide in their Sugar Bowl win over Clemson was nothing short of impressive. Alabama’s offense once again is the deepest in college football, especially at the running back position. And the defense is again considered a Top-five unit even with a number of injuries at the linebacker position.
Smart has Georgia began the season by winning the school's first nine games. This included earning a "W" versus Notre Dame, taking the Florida Gators to the woodshed with their one loss coming against a good Auburn group that, is in many ways, the mirror image of Bama. Georgia got a second chance at Auburn, in the SEC Championship contest, and walked away with a 28-7 victory. The Rose Bowl holiday event, the semi-finals for the CFP, saw the Bulldogs secure a 54-48 win over Oklahoma in double overtime.
The two teams that take the field in Atlanta tonight haven't had a head-to-head contest in over two years, since 2015, with the Crimson Tide owning a three-game winning streak over the Bulldogs.
While watching film and boxscores of these two teams make it more than likely both teams will want to be run-first and duke it out in the trenches it would be irresponsible to believe that neither coaching staff isn't going to be creative in this title game.
Bama isn't going to let the Bulldogs push them around like Smart and his offense did to Oklahoma, gaining 317 yards and averaging over 9 yards per carry in the Rose Bowl victory.
Georgia receives most of the credit for being the better rushing offense behind the NFL legs of Chubb. However, what Saban and his staff did to Clemson via the ground attack, 141 yards on 42 carries, was more impressive, considering the two team's opponents.
Expect to see both coaches load the box tonight and force the offenses to, again, be creative, with more pass plays than you will hear or read.
While Chubb has rushed for 1,320 yards and 15 touchdowns this year and shared the running duties with Sony Michel who ran for 1,129 yards, there is a third option for the Dogs at tailback. Freshman D’Andre Swift ran for 603 yards and three scores this year. Where the hay is made with this Georgia offense is their line, a unit that has been as good as any in college football.
The balanced rushing attack of the Dogs is even more level among the Bama player personnel. RB Damien Harris leads the Crimson Tide running game. Harris recording 983 yards and 11 touchdowns and did so on a mere 129 carries this year. There is Bo Scarbrough (573 yards and eight TD's), Najee Harris (306) and Josh Jacobs (276) throwing in their two legs to the offensive ground and pound. And of course Saban and his staff also have the legs of quarterback Jalen Hurts who rushed for 808 yards and eight touchdowns this year.
Considering that both of these coaches know each other well, and what has been the bread and butter to the two team's success, a low-scoring game would surprise me. Read the season long stat block and you will find that Alabama has limited their opponents to an average of 11 points a game and Georgia 16.
A ground and pound attack by both teams isn't logical, or reasonable, considering the intellect of these two staffs. The Tide has surrendered just four yards a play this year and the 'Dogs 4.5.
Bama has allowed less than 100 yards per game on the ground this year, on average, while Georgia has contained the opposition’s running attack giving up just over 120 yards per contest. Additionally, neither team has been touched by the big runs from scrimmage this season. The championship tilt duo have combined to allow just two runs of 40 or more yards during the regular season, plus semi-event, in 2017-18.
Year after year, be it in college of the NFL, you will hear that defense wins championships. The Alabama defense was better a season ago than this year, and the year before, ditto. Last year's CFP final score found Clemson scoring 35 points against the Tide. Bama put up 31 against a good Clemson defense.
Clemson rushed for just 91 yards against last year's Tide "D" while throwing for 420 yards.
And while both teams bring the reputation of being defensive to Atlanta with the intent on stacking the box on first down. But this game will be about both coaching staffs trusting their quarterbacks. The results will be mixed. With both head coaches knowing that the team that does a better job of passing the ball winning this title event.
Hurt has been in this situation before while Fromm hasn't. He has the legs to damage the Georgia defense and he doesn't throw interceptions, at least he didn't during the regular season giving the opposing stop-units just one on the year.
Fromm on the other hand is a freshman on the biggest stage in college football. And he is a true freshman mind you. Neither Hurts nor Fromm has had to throw the football 30-plus times to win games in their careers. But that isn't the case tonight.
Neither of these two coaching staffs are so slow that they believe they are going to win with defense and a running game tonight. That makes less sense than anything when game-planning for this event. The two SEC school's have won with defense and their running attack this year while both have done a great job of preventing the opposition from being their clones.
Both Hurts and Fromm have been excellent at taking care of the ball all year. I don't, however, believe the status quo will hold serve tonight due to the necessity to throw the ball 30-times to win and/or lose tonight.
The truth is that both quarterbacks will be tested through the air tonight. And both will have their successes and their failures. The more experienced team and coaching staff wins and it would also be a surprise to see this game not get completely outside the norm if Bama garners a 14-plus point lead.
Big win for Saban and his crew tonight and they do so scoring big points.
OVER the TOTAL of 44.5