National Championship Game: 3 takeaways to Alabama-Georgia matchup

College Football Playoff: 3 knee-jerk reactions to Georgia-Alabama matchup

NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 01: Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide reacts in the second half of the AllState Sugar Bowl against the Clemson Tigers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 1, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

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PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 01: Head Coach Kirby Smart of the Georgia Bulldogs celebrates after winning the 2018 College Football Playoff Semifinal Game against the Oklahoma Sooners at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

2. Saban vs. Smart

This is going to be a battle of teacher against student. Kirby Smart spent a majority of his coaching career learning under Nick Saban. To say he followed him everywhere would be an understatement.

From LSU to the Dolphins all the way to a lengthy tenure as an assistant with Alabama, Smart learned a lot from coaching under the Alabama head coach. Now the two will stand on opposite sides battling it out for a National Championship.

It’s not surprising that the Saban coaching tree has caught up to him, as many coaches have sprouted from the success the former has had throughout his career. This will be a chess game at the highest level.

These two men know each other and their tendencies. They are going to have to use some things up their sleeves that the other might not about. Smart has done an incredible job in his short tenure with the Bulldogs.

The ultimate start to a young tenure would be knocking off the man that helped him get to where he is today. Whatever happens, this is going to be one of the biggest narratives leading into the game.

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