{"id":12750,"date":"2018-01-07T08:00:01","date_gmt":"2018-01-07T13:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosoncfb.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=12750"},"modified":"2025-09-13T15:08:43","modified_gmt":"2025-09-13T19:08:43","slug":"2018-national-championship-game-preview-georgia-vs-alabama","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2018\/01\/07\/2018-national-championship-game-preview-georgia-vs-alabama\/","title":{"rendered":"2018 National Championship Game Preview: Georgia vs Alabama"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is the culmination of a journey that began for both of these teams in March. Most experts predicted Alabama<\/strong> to be here. The Crimson Tide<\/strong> have been in this game each of the last two seasons. Georgia<\/strong> is the new dog<\/em>, so to speak. This is their first appearance in the National Championship<\/strong> game in the playoff era. And, Georgia is trying to win its first championship since 1980.<\/p>\n

Live from the heart of SEC country, the National Championship will be held in its brand new home, the\u00a0Mercedes-Benz Stadium<\/strong> in Atlanta, Ga<\/strong>. The No. 3 ranked Georgia Bulldogs will go head-to-head against No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide.\u00a0 On the surface, the championship game may have lost some of its interest nationally with two representatives from the same conference. But, a couple of points come to mind when looking at this match-up. Alabama and Georgia have not played each other this year so there is no rematch factor to consider. Also, with the dynamic of both of these schools, there are plenty of storylines to consider. We have you covered at Last Word on College Football with everything you need to know, including our panel of experts providing predictions for the 2018 National Championship Game:<\/p>\n

2018 National Championship Game Preview: Georgia vs. Alabama<\/h2>\n

What:\u00a02018 National Championship Game<\/h4>\n

Who: Georgia Bulldogs vs. Alabama Crimson Tide<\/h4>\n

Where:\u00a0Mercedes-Benz Stadium<\/a>, Atlanta, Georgia (ESPN)<\/h4>\n

When: Monday, January 8th, 2018 \u2013 8:00 PM EDT<\/h4>\n

Georgia Bulldogs<\/h3>\n

Georgia (13-1) won the SEC championship and a berth in the\u00a0College Football Playoffs by way of a rematch defeat of Auburn<\/strong> in\u00a0the SEC Championship Game, 28-7. Then, they showed championship mettle by coming back from 17 points down to defeat Oklahoma<\/strong>, 54-48 in double overtime.<\/p>\n

The thunder and lightning combination of Nick Chubb<\/a> and Sony Michel<\/a> has been strong all year, but they flexed their muscles against Oklahoma. Michel had 11 carries for 181 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winner. Meanwhile, Chubb had 14 rushes for 145 yards and two scores.<\/p>\n

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Perhaps, the most undervalued aspect of the Georgia football team is true freshman Quarterback Jake Fromm<\/a>. Normally, a freshman will hit that proverbial wall in their first season. However, that hasn’t happened yet. He was very effective in completing 20 of 29 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Alabama<\/h3>\n

With all due respect to both Ohio State<\/strong> and Central Florida<\/strong>, the Crimson Tide have earned the right to be here. It’s been well documented that there has been some heartache around Alabama (12-1) being the recipient of the fourth and final playoff spot without winning their conference. However, the Crimson Tide may have put many critics to rest in a dominating semi-final victory over Clemson<\/strong> by the score of 24-6.<\/p>\n

Alabama got back to playing the type of football we are accustomed to seeing against Clemson. They employed a devastating and opportunistic defense that held the Tigers out of the end zone while scoring themselves with a pick six. The Crimson Tide allowed only 188 totals yards and forced two turnovers.<\/p>\n

The offense continued the trend of doing just enough. The recipe for success has been utilizing a ball-control offense with timely throws to keep the defense off balance. Damien Harris<\/a> led the attack on the ground with 77 yards, while Jalen Hurts<\/a> threw for two scores through the air. The defense also turned offensive as defensive lineman\u00a0Daron Payne<\/a> caught a one-yard touchdown pass to extend to an 11-point advantage early in the third quarter.<\/p>\n

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It all comes down to this. pic.twitter.com\/2CKoKB1RIe<\/a><\/p>\n

— ESPN (@espn) January 2, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n