SEC football 2019 season preview: Has Georgia closed the gap on Alabama?

SEC Championship Game Prediction: Alabama vs Georgia

I know it is a chalk pick, but it is hard to place a bet on any other scenario. This would, of course, be the third year in a row Alabama and Georgia would face off in a critical late-season game.

Before I break down this game, I will quickly throw out the only other possibilities I can realistically suggest. LSU vs Georgia would be the second most likely scenario, and the Bulldogs could struggle against and LSU team with the momentum of knocking off Alabama late in the season. Alabama also could draw Florida, if Georgia loses to the Gators or multiple SEC opponents.

In 2017, Alabama bested Georgia in the National Championship game behind the late heroics of Tua Tagavailoa. In 2018, the Crimson Tide beat the Bulldogs again, despite trailing for the majority of the game. This time it was Jalen Hurts who bested the dogs.

It would seem, then, only appropriate for Georgia to have to take down the Crimson Tide in order to achieve their ultimate goal in 2019: win a national championship.

If these two were to face off, the key for Georgia would be establishing the run game against the talented front seven of Alabama. Their inexperience wide receivers would likely get shut down by Alabama’s elite defensive backs. That would force the Bulldogs to move the ball primarily through Swift, Cook, and White. Fromm’s decision-making and ultimately his ability to transcend his wideouts’ lack of experience could ultimately decide if they can break through Alabama’s defense.

Alabama’s focus in this game would be rising to the occasion. The Crimson Tide struggled last year to adjust their level of play when facing opponents who actually matched their level of talent. It is why they nearly got upset by Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, and why they got blown out by Clemson in the National Championship. They would also need Tua to display veteran leadership and the clutch gene that helped bail them out of the 2017 National Championship.

I believe, ultimately, this could be the season where Georgia breaks through and takes down the Tide. What is clear, though, is that this game would once again be close and would define the entire landscape of the 2019 college football season.