Alabama is the betting favorite over Georgia in the College Football Playoff National Championship. Most of the HERO Sports' staff agrees with oddsmakers.
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Only one of our four college football writers believes Georgia can prevent Alabama from winning their fifth national title since 2009, and two don't believe the Bulldogs can keep it within 10 points.
Here are the picks, scores and notes:
| A. Coffaro | A. Doughty | J. Oxley | W. Sallas |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama, 19-6 | Alabama, 24-16 | Alabama, 27-10 | Georgia, 24-23 |
Andy Coffaro: A defensive slugfest with the only Alabama touchdown coming or set up by the defense. The game could be similar to the Crimson Tide’s 21-0 BCS National Championship win over LSU in 2012.
Andrew Doughty: Alabama squashed concerns over their defense's health with a dominating performance vs. Clemson. While the concerns are still real, Rashaan Evans, Minkah Fitzpatrick and the Tide will do enough to hold Georgia to one touchdown.
Jim Oxley: Alabama gave Kelly Bryant fits all night in the semifinal, and even without Anfernee Jennings and the other injured linebackers, the Tide’s defense is still just too good. Georgia’s going to need to rely on Jake Fromm, not just Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, to win this game, and I don’t think the young quarterback will get the job done.
Wai Sallas: Both teams come into this game representing what has made the SEC the most dominant conference this decade. Alabama relies on its defense to suffocate you on offense. Georgia uses its running back duo to pound you into submission. Both teams lost to Auburn (who lost to undefeated UCF) behind impressive performances from running back Kerryon Johnson. No running back duo has amassed as much yards as Nick Chubb and Sony Michel. They’re the difference.
