Dear Georgia, To Be The Best You Have to Beat The Best
Over the past couple of years, it is irrefutable to say that Georgia has dominated college football. With their win over Georgia Tech last night, their winning streak has eclipsed all of Alabama’s record-breaking winning streaks that have occurred throughout its illustrious history. In this modern era of college football, it’s a very impressive feat and dominant stretch, to say the least. Now, once again, we get Alabama and Georgia in another historic SECCG for all the marbles.
The modern Alabama and Georgia rivalry can be traced back to Nick Saban’s first year at Alabama in 2007. In week three, after a huge upset win over Arkansas that really set the tone of the Saban era at Alabama, Georgia came into Tuscaloosa the following week and ended Alabama’s undefeated season with a walk-off touchdown in OT. The following year, led by superstars Matthew Stafford, Knowshon Moreno, and a young AJ Green, Georgia was a preseason darling expected to win the SEC and play for a national championship. A young Alabama team many thought was a year away from being a serious contender showed up in Athens as an underdog between unbeaten teams. Georgia famously made the game a “blackout” which is exactly what Alabama did to Georgia in Athens that night. And ever since that night, Alabama dominated the series by winning the next seven memorable games in a row.
In 2012, Alabama played Georgia in a winner-take-all SEC championship game for the right to embarrass Notre Dame in the BCS National Championship. After four quarters of back and forth, Georgia trailed by four with under a minute left and drove all the way to the goal line before famously being tackled in bounds to run out of time - just a few yards short of the end zone. In 2015, at the height of the Saban dynasty, a struggling Alabama team found itself as an underdog for the first time in five years in Athens. In a rain-soaked Sanford Stadium, it was the turning point for both team’s seasons as Derrick Henry and the Alabama defense smothered Georgia 38-10.
Georgia fans figured that perhaps a new coach would solve their problems of coming up short, so they fired Mark Richt and hired Saban’s top disciple, Kirby Smart. However, nothing changed when it came to facing Alabama. In 2017 and 2018, Georgia blew two fourth-quarter leads that they seemingly should have won when Alabama turned to Tua Tagovailoa and then Jalen Hurts off the bench. In 2020, Alabama once again ended Georgia’s national championship hopes in a #2 vs #3 matchup during the regular season en route to yet another national title.
The 2021 Georgia team had one of the most dominant regular seasons in team history, going undefeated and looking like the team to beat before meeting a vulnerable Alabama team in Atlanta that had barely escaped a mediocre Auburn team the week before (de ja vu?). Georgia knew it was their time to get past Alabama and oddsmakers expected Georgia to finally get over the hump on their home-state turf. However, once again, the underdog Tide came into the Georgia dome and rolled over the heavily favored Bulldogs. Forgotten in the midst of the blowout was an injury to Alabama star WR John Metchie III. Fortunately, Alabama had another playmaker named Jameson Williams for Bryce Young to throw to, and the Tide figured to be okay for another playoff run.
The teams would meet just one month later in Indianapolis for a national title rematch, this time with the outcome seen largely as a tossup between two great teams. Would Georgia ever get over the hump? Many had their doubts. Alabama had owned Georgia, who had always found ways to lose the big game to Alabama, but one simple fact of football remained: it’s hard to beat a great team twice. Early on, Alabama looked to be in control of the game, handling the Georgia offense and moving the ball down the field. Then, early in the second quarter, Jameson Williams tore his ACL on the Lucas Oil Stadium turf. Alabama had lost its two best playmakers in a span of roughly four quarters of football and was left with a very underwhelming group of WRs for Bryce Young to throw to. Georgia would go on to finally get over the hump against Alabama with perhaps their biggest win in school history. In 2022, Georgia would win their second straight national championship by capping off an impressive unbeaten season with a large thumping of TCU in the most dominant national championship performance of all time. Georgia had become the team it sought for so long to beat. There’s only one small footnote to add here: Georgia and Alabama didn’t play in 2022.
I’m not sure who actually coined that old saying: “To be the best you have to beat the best,” but that’s how it felt after the 2022 season as an Alabama fan. And I am not saying Alabama deserved to play Georgia last season, but I do believe they were much better than LSU and would have beaten Georgia once again in Atlanta, given the chance. They certainly would have been a more formidable playoff opponent than TCU (ahem: Florida State).
The fact is this: Alabama owns Georgia like the Yankees own Pedro Martinez. I get it, injuries are a part of football (Alabama probably has another loss or two to Texas without injuries to a QB, I’ll concede that), but we still have the right to gripe about the unfortunate and untimely nature of them, and how it impacts the outcome. The debates are what makes college football great. And it feels to me like that’s the way Georgia got over the hump against Alabama. I’m just not buying this talk about how they’re the team to beat in College Football - yet. It’s not WE WANT GEORGIA! It’s WE WANT BAMA! Yes, they’re number one and going for a three-peat, but Alabama is playing their best football right now (Jordan-Hare voodoo notwithstanding) and is at full strength. During this Georgia run, Georgia is merely 1-1 against Alabama with one beatdown and one win where Alabama was down their two best WRs. This is a fact. Beating the likes of Florida, Tennessee, and LSU in big games is nothing special. Alabama has been doing it for nearly two decades.
Georgia needs another (more convincing) win against Alabama to cement their status as the top dog in college football. Fortunately, both teams escaped closer-than-expected matchups with their also-ran arch-rivals. College football deserves to have this be a winner-take-all game. The winner of this game will undoubtedly march through the playoff field to win the national championship. This game is, effectively, the national championship. There won’t be any rematches or second chances this go around; the loser is out. Georgia has a chance to do something that history says can’t be done. If they succeed where Alabama has failed, they will unquestionably be the new dynasty in college football. But remember, Georgia fans, Alabama is coming to town. To be the best you have to beat the best.
