It's the week of the SEC Championship Game, and that means No. 4 Georgia (11-1) and No. 1 Alabama (12-0) get to dance once again, with the Bulldogs looking to eke into the College Football Playoff, and the Crimson Tide, potentially, already locked-in.
I don't have much else to say about it, except for these irrelevant stats I've procured.
The last time...
1) These teams met:
In the Bible, which I heard was a good book before that dude came knockin' at my door and spoiled the ending for me, has a passage where Jesus tells a woman (likely a Tech fan) "Go and sin no more."
The ending of this game was a sin, and so I shall not bring it up again.
If you don't know what happened by now, you probably don't care about football, in which case...why are you reading this blog to begin with?
2) Georgia knocked off a No. 1 team:
Accoridng to the numbers crunched by SB Nation three years ago (and expanded upon by yours truly), the Bulldogs have only beaten one No.1-ranked opponent ever. That was the 1985 Florida Gators, which Georgia beat 24-3 in one of Vince Dooley's finest performances (of many) in Jacksonville.
Since then, the Bulldogs have only played a top-ranked team once, losing to the 2009 Gators 41-17.
3) Alabama lost a game in the state of Georgia:
Apparently Florida is a popular answer today, because the 2008 Gators are the most recent team to defeat the Tide in the Peach State.
An absolutely loaded parole hearing roster with the likes of Tim Tebow, Percy Harvin, Riley Cooper, Aaron Hernandez and company took down Nick Saban's undefeated Alabama team 31-20 in the SEC Championship Game.
Since then, the Crimson Tide are 12-0 in Georgia, including...well, you know.
4) Georgia defeated a Heisman Trophy winner:
Let's go ahead and assume Tua Tagovailoa wins college football's most coveted trophy in a little over a week.
If he does, he would actually become the second straight Heisman winner to lose to the Bulldogs.
Last year, Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield succombed to Georgia 54-48 in overtime in the Rose Bowl.
5) The SEC East won back-to-back SEC Championships:
Last year, the Dawgs' 28-7 win over Auburn was actually the first time since the aforementioned '08 Florida team that the SEC East actually won the SEC Championship Game.
But that team isn't the answer.
For this one we need to dig back a little further into the Urban Meyer era — and the Mark Richt era.
Richt's 2005 Georgia team (which knocked off LSU) and Meyer's '06 Gators (which knocked off Arkansas) represent the most recent back-to-back wins by the SEC East in the championship game.
6) Georgia played in a one-possession game:
The Bulldogs haven't played in a one-possession game since...the last time they played Alabama.
The entirety of the 2018 has featured 11 wins (the closest being Missouri, by 14) and one loss, a 20-pointer to LSU.
Here's an extra stat for you: last year's national championship is also the Tide's most recent one-possession game.
7) Alabama lost to the SEC East:
Steve Spurrier is the most recent SEC East coach to knock off mighty 'Bama.
In 2010, playing at home, his Gamecocks took care of the only Saban-coached Crimson Tide team to lose more than once (if we give his first year a mulligan), 35-21.
Since then, Saban is 22-0 against the East.
8) Georgia won back-to-back SEC Championships:
A win Saturday would give the Bulldogs a feat not accomplished since the Herschel era: winning back-to-back conference titles.
Herschel never missed a conference crown, leading Georgia to the SEC Championship in 1980, '81 and '82.
Since then, the Bulldogs have won only three conference championships: 2002, '05 and '17.
9) Alabama was outgained in rushing yards:
For the team that won all its games by more than 20 points (a stat you've probably seen, since it's the first time since the 1800's), we don't actually have to travel all that far back.
The Crimson Tide were out-rushed two games ago against The Citadel, which runs the triple-option.
The Bulldogs actually tied 'Bama at the half 10-10, and nearly became the only team to lead the Tide in the second half, before Saban's minions rolled to a 50-17 runaway.
The Citadel gained 275 yards on the ground, outpacing mighty 'Bama's 190 yards.
10) The SEC Championship game winner failed to block a kick:
The last three SEC Champions (Georgia and Alabama x2, if you're wondering) have all blocked a kick in the title game.
Last year, the Bulldogs blocked an Auburn field goal attempt in a 28-7 victory. In 2016 and 2015, the Crimson Tide blocked a punt against Florida, returning it for a touchdown in '16 and turning it into a safety in '15.
The last team to win the title without a blocked kick is...also Alabama, back in 2014.
Against Missouri, the Tide cruised to a 42-13 victory en route to the inaugural College Football Playoff.
For whatever it's worth, Georgia has blocked a kick in every SEC Championship game victory — blocking punts against Arkansas in 2002 and LSU in 2005, not to mention the field goal block against 'Bama in the close loss of 2012.
***
The line as of this writing has Alabama installed as a 13.5-point favorite.
As much as it pains me to say it, I don't see Georgia keeping that close through 60 full minutes. I think the Tide have too much fire power on offense against a Bulldog defense that has, lately, feasted on less-than-stellar offenses.
I think it's a game into the third quarter, at which point Tua turns on the tail lights.
Alabama 41, Georgia 24
