College Football National Championship: #1 Alabama vs. #3 Georgia Preview, Prediction

The Alabama Crimson Tide take on the Georgia Bulldogs in an all-SEC showdown for the 2022 National Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.

© Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

And then there were two. The top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide (13-1) take on the third-ranked Georgia Bulldogs (13-1) in a rematch of the SEC Championship Game. Below, we'll look at each team, what we can expect, and whether or not those expectations deviate from what we saw on Dec. 4.

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College Football National Championship: How Did We Get Here?

Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young attempts a pass in the Cotton Bowl semifinal vs. Cincinnati :: © Albert Cesare / The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

#1 Alabama Crimson Tide (13-1, 7-1)

Alabama is appearing in their sixth national championship in eight College Football Playoffs and their ninth over the past 13 years. The decade-plus of dominance is attributed to head coach Nick Saban, who's making a strong argument for the title, "Greatest Of All Time."

If you've been following college football for some years, you'll know this Alabama team isn't typical of Saban-led Tide teams. It's often considered this team is one of his weaker, which is even more impressive that they're ranked No. 1 and positioned to win another title.

Sophomore Bryce Young won the Heisman Trophy this season while breaking Alabama season records for passing yards and passing touchdowns. Young throws to a talented receiving corps, led by Jamison Williams and John Metchie III (note: Metchie tore his ACL in the SEC Championship Game and will not play in this game). Senior running back Brian Robinson thrust his name into the national spotlight when he elapsed 200 yards on the ground in the Cotton Bowl semifinal against Cincinnati– one of the nation's better defenses.

While the defense isn't up to snuff as far as Alabama teams go, they're loaded with talent. Linebacker Will Anderson led the nation in tackles for loss this season (32.5) and took home the Bronko Nagurski trophy, given to the nation's most outstanding defensive player. Anderson is surrounded by a plethora of five-star recruits and big-bodied athletes.

Alabama's Journey To The Title Game

The Crimson Tide were expectedly preseason favorites to win the National Championship. They won the title in 2020 over Ohio State in dominant fashion and continued to be title favorites for many weeks.

However, a huge upset loss to Texas A&M this season knocked them off the throne where they were replaced with Georgia.

Alabama rebounded, a testament to Saban's coaching track record, and won out their schedule. They met Georgia in the SEC Championship Game on Dec. 4 where they controlled the game wire-to-wire.

Named the number-one seed for this year's College Football Playoff, Alabama met No. 4 Cincinnati in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic in Arlington, Texas. The Tide made quick work of the first-ever Group of Five program to make the playoff, winning 27-6. Once again, the final score wasn't quite indicative of the level of control Alabama had this game.

Outland Trophy winner Jordan Davis during Georgia's SEC Championship game against Alabama / © Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

#3 Georgia Bulldogs (13-1, 8-0)

There's absolutely no question which team in the nation fielded the best defense. Not only was Georgia's defense nationally dominant, but they posted historic numbers. Their 0.36 points per drive allowed in the regular season is comfortably the best mark since the stat was kept in 2008.

Jordan Davis is the anchor of the group, winning the Outland Trophy (given to the nation's best lineman, offensive or defensive) and the Bednarik Award (given to the nation's best defensive player). Davis became just the third player ever to win both awards and the first in the SEC. The other two players? Ndamukong Suh (2009) and Aaron Donald (2013)– both future NFL All Pro players.

However, the defense doesn't stop at Davis. Linebacker Nakobe Dean won the Butkis Award, given to the nation's best linebacker. Dean is a projected first-round NFL Draft pick this coming April. The front seven players on defense are considered by many to be the best unit ever assembled.

Offensively, the Bulldogs proved to be worthy when they posted 34 on Michigan and their strong defense in the Orange Bowl semifinal. Quarterback Stetson Bennett IV maintains to be the starter over blue-chip recruit and transfer JT Daniels. Despite calls for Daniels to play, Bennett is an extremely solid quarterback. Expect freshman All American tight end Brock Bowers to be a focal point for both teams.

Georgia's Journey To The Title Game

The Bulldogs didn't come out of thin air– they were among the preseason favorites to win the title according to Vegas odds.

They immediately made a case for their defense when they beat top-five Clemson on the opening weekend of college football. Retrospectively, the Tigers struggled offensively, but it was an unbelievable defensive effort nonetheless. Georgia wouldn't allow 17 points in a game until the SEC Championship, which still is the only instance of them giving up 17 or more points.

Georgia maintained as the title favorites from early October through the rest of the season until they were bested in the conference title game.

They also made quick work of their semifinal opponent, Michigan, in the CapitalOne Orange Bowl, 34-11. This is their second appearance in a CFP National Championship, with the other also coming against Alabama (2018).

Alabama Vs. Georgia: National Championship Preview

All American tight end Brock Bowers tries to evade a group of Alabama defenders in the SEC Championship Game :: © Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK

In that 2018 showdown between these two teams, Alabama won the game in overtime in Tua Tagovailoa's rise to fame game. Tagovailoa famously replaced Jalen Hurts in that game and threw the winning touchdown pass. The move ultimately forced Hurts to transfer to Oklahoma and both quarterbacks are starters for winning NFL teams.

However, we just saw this game: Alabama bested Georgia in the SEC Championship on Dec. 4. The final score was 41-24, but the Tide were ahead 41-17 until very late in the game. It really was a Tide domination.

Nick Saban (right) meets with former assistant Kirby Smart (left) before December's SEC Championship / © Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

The Mentor Vs. His Pupils

Kirby Smart has never beaten Alabama– in the regular season, conference championship, or playoff. Notably, Nick Saban is extremely effective against his very large assistant tree; before Texas A&M's Jimbo Fisher pulled off the upset earlier this year, Saban was 25-0 against former assistants.

We're not just talking about an offensive analyst who was hired by the Charlotte 49ers, either. Saban's coaching tree is ridiculous, including:

• Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M
• Kirby Smart, Georgia
• Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss
• Billy Napier, Florida
• Jim McElwain, Central Michigan
• Mark Dantonio, longtime Michigan State head coach
• Will Muschamp, longtime South Carolina head coach
• Jeremy Pruitt, longtime Tennessee head coach

Will Anderson celebrates winning the SEC Championship in December / © Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Will We See A Repeat Of December?

It's easy to point out that Alabama just throttled Georgia not five weeks ago. Outside of Alabama and Georgia fans and media stakeholders in the SEC (ESPN), this is the rematch nobody wanted to see.

With the Tide having just won this matchup by 17, how can we expect anything different this time around?

Unfortunately, we won't really know until the game shapes out.

The first time around, Alabama was able to throw the ball all over the field. Young threw for 421 yards and three touchdowns. Williams was the top receiver, hauling in seven passes for 184 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The Georgia secondary– generally considered the "weakness" of their defense– was outclassed and out-schemed.

What To Expect From Alabama

A name to keep in mind: Alabama receiver Slade Bolden. Without Metchie in the lineup, Bolden has seen an increased target volume and scored the opening touchdown against Cincinnati.

Don't expect Brian Robinson to rush for another 200 yards this game, he only had 55 yards on 16 carries the first time around.

The Tide showed no cards in their semifinal matchup because they didn't have to. Their offensive front bullied Cincinnati and it afforded Alabama the luxury of just lining up and running the ball time and time again. Don't expect that in this game– Saban's got plenty of calls he hasn't had to use all game ready to go.

The offensive line, which struggled much of the regular season, has played terrific over the Tide's last two games. It's the last game for Evan Neal, an All American tackle for Alabama, before he's expected to be drafted in the first round of the coming NFL Draft.

Expect plenty of timing routes and tempo from Alabama with downfield shots taken. This is an experienced coaching staff, anchored by former Houston Texans head coach Bill O'Brien (Alabama's offensive coordinator). It's a composed group led by the unflappable Bryce Young.

What To Expect From Georgia

Oftentimes, getting your butt kicked once is good for you. This is the case for Georgia, who was able to re-focus after sleepwalking through their entire regular season. They exhibited a rekindled excitement against Michigan in their semifinal.

The Dawgs got absolutely nothing going on the ground in the SEC Championship, as Alabama's scoring schemed the run game right out. James Cook (brother of NFL superstar Dalvin Cook) saw just 11 carries for 38 yards in that game. Don't be surprised if he gets a flux of carries early as O'Brien tries to establish the run game.

Bennett threw a pair of costly interceptions, one of which came on an aggressive downfield shot taken when Georgia was behind. The moment wasn't too big for him, though, as he still threw for 340 yards and three touchdowns when asked to throw almost 50 passes.

The defensive front was mostly rendered ineffective in the December matchup. To keep them down twice would be impressive, but not impossible for Alabama.

National Championship Prediction

It's really hard to imagine that Alabama will just fall off from their last matchup. While beating a good team twice is difficult, Saban's proven nothing's out of the cards for him.

Alabama is just too good downfield and too explosive behind Bryce Young for them to be stifled offensively.

While this game might not be another 20-point blowout, Georgia turning a 24-point deficit (for much of the game) into a National Championship victory would be astonishing. Sorry, Georgia, but the 1980 season will remain the most glorious for another year.

The pick: Alabama 31-20