For the first time ever, we will have two teams from the same conference square off in the College Football Playoff National Championship.
The Alabama Crimson Tide made it here with a dominating defensive effort. They put the clamps on Clemson’s offense in the Sugar Bowl, cruising to a 24-6 victory over the Tigers.
The Georgia Bulldogs won in completely different fashion. Georgia was pushed to the brink by Oklahoma’s high-scoring offense, but was able to shred the Sooners run defense. Now, they have a chance to claim their first title in over three decades.
Watch the College Football Playoff National Championship live on Monday, January 1, 2018, at 8 p.m. ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. This game will be broadcast on ESPN.
College Football Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Alabama -4.5
Georgia +4.5
Over/Under 45
Odds Analysis
A lot of early action has come in on the under in this one. The total opened at 47.5 early Tuesday morning, but has already been bet down to 45. Don’t be surprised to see the total come down a little more in this one either.
There’s been a little bit of movement in terms of the side as well. The Crimson Tide opened as a four-point favorite, but sharps liked what they saw out of Bama more than Georgia and that number has risen to 4.5.
Georgia’s win over the Sooners in the Rose Bowl gave the Bulldogs their fourth straight cover. They are now 10-4 ATS on the year and 7-1 ATS outside of Athens. Alabama is just 6-7 ATS on the season, but the nation’s No. 1 defense has helped this team cash three straight unders.
Player to Watch
Georgia has one of the best running games in the nation, but it will face its toughest test of the season when it takes on Alabama. The Crimson Tide have the nation’s best run defense, and no team has had much luck running against this front all season. That will put the onus on Jake Fromm to move the chains for the Bulldogs.
Fromm has looked pretty good as a true freshman, and there have been flashes of brilliance. He was perfectly fine against Auburn in the SEC Championship Game, and he played well against Oklahoma too.
However, he has had the luxury of getting to throw into a lot of soft coverage because of the success of the Georgia running game. Not only that, but the team has never had to lean heavily on him either, as he is yet to throw 30 or more passes in a game.
We will see just how good he is on Monday.
Matchup to Watch
Alabama’s offense had a really tough time moving the ball against Clemson. The Crimson Tide have not looked as dynamic on offense under new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll as they have in seasons past, and that could catch up to them here.
The Crimson Tide were able to pick up just 261 total yards against Clemson, and didn’t move the ball much outside of the first quarter. They have relied on defense to win games all year long, with Daboll unwilling to really let loose like his predecessor Lane Kiffin did.
Oklahoma and Missouri both showed that this Georgia defense can be beat through the air, so it will be interesting to see whether or not he allows Jalen Hurts to air it out more than he has in the past.
Free ATS Pick
No team has been able to beat Alabama at its own game. The Crimson Tide have spent the last decade winning with a great defense and a strong running game, but the Bulldogs are hoping they can break the mold. They will give Alabama a game for the first half, but eventually the tide will turn because of Alabama’s depth and experience. Go ahead and lay the points with Alabama here.
College Football Odds: Alabama 27, Georgia 13
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