Georgia’s defense forced seven sacks of Tiger quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei, with his lone turnover being the obvious deciding factor.
When other teams were hanging more than 40 on tune-up games, how refreshing was it to see a defensive battle between two heavyweights for a change?
Alabama hung 44 on #14 Miami, while Oklahoma had to put 40 on Tulane to hang on. The Sooners posted a field goal with one minute left in the third quarter to go up 40-22 against the Green Wave. It would be the last points they scored, when Tulane put up two touchdowns in the final frame to cost Oklahoma a lot of first place votes when the new rankings are released tomorrow night.
Georgia on the other hand did not earn any style points being shut out of the endzone on offense. Ohio State had to rally past Minnesota, so some of their votes will not be carried over.
While opening week was not kind at all to the ACC by having Clemson, North Carolina and Miami all lose, the Tigers are still the class of the conference. This was thought by some to be a bit of a rebuild in Clemson, having to finally move on from the Trevor Lawrence era. Georgia on the other hand will be in Alabama’s rearview most of the season.
The Bulldogs’ get South Carolina and Kentucky at home, while facing Florida on their yearly neutral Jacksonville field for the “Cocktail Party.” The Bulldogs have the benefit of playing in the SEC East, where their future will be decided after their meeting with the Gators on Halloween weekend.
The Crimson Tide come off another National Championship with a new quarterback, but have to be on the road against Florida, Texas A&M and the Iron Bowl against Auburn this year. These are three trap games that could either ruin their season, or be 50-10 blowouts, as is typical of the Nick Saban era.
Should Georgia be able to utilize this defense, this could be the year they break through, much like how LSU did with their defense in 2019. The Tigers used their defense to hold off Alabama late, then shut down Texas A&M, Georgia, Oklahoma and Clemson over their final four games of the season to claim their fourth crown.
Kirby Smart does have a taste of the BCS playoffs, getting to the 2017 title game before being nipped by Alabama. It has been 41 years since the Bulldogs have laid claim to the top prize in college football, but a statement win like this out of the chute can only build momentum for a first-year starting quarterback.
This is the type of year that things get interesting in the SEC. Some of the heavy hitters do not face each other in the regular season, while the kings have to go on the road for many of their tougher tests. Ohio State gets to host Penn State this year, and Oklahoma gets to do the same with Iowa State the week before the “Bedlam Game” with Oklahoma State.
Regardless of where everyone ends up, if we get a Georgia/Alabama SEC Championship this year, that will be your National Champion. Writers and die-hards know there is a bias against the SEC, but allowing Clemson to a measly fourth quarter field goal is all the Bulldogs need to give justification to letting “Uga” bark all night, regardless of how much the neighbors complain.
-JC24