While we’re on the subject of playing Alabama, close or otherwise, here’s a take on Georgia’s chances against the Tide this season.
Georgia
When they play: Not scheduled; could meet in SEC Championship on Dec. 4 or CFP
Why Georgia can win: As South Carolina coach Shane Beamer put it Saturday, Georgia has “like a hundred five-star football players on their defense.” The Bulldogs’ loaded defense is reminiscent of a vintage Alabama defense. Georgia’s offense started slowly but was missing wide receiver Kearis Jackson and tight end Darnell Washington. This offense should function at a higher level come December.
Why Georgia should be concerned: We’re not living in the same college football era as when LSU beat Alabama 9-6 in 2011. No matter how good a team’s defense is, it’s going to have to score at least a few touchdowns to beat the Crimson Tide nowadays. Alabama’s defense proved to be vulnerable against Florida’s ground game, but that was partly because of quarterback Emory Jones’ running ability and Alabama’s struggle to defend the speed option and read-option. Bulldogs quarterback JT Daniels isn’t a running threat, and Georgia’s pro-style offense is easier to prepare for than Florida’s system.
There is some truth to both points there, but I would note that as far as easier to prepare goes, even against Clemson’s defense, which has performed at a much higher level so far this season than has Alabama’s, the Dawgs offense (which was missing several key performers and had a hobbled Daniels taking snaps) still managed 4.2 yards per play and was able to close out the last five minutes of the opener for the win.
Alabama is still Alabama and Saban is still Saban, so I’m not even close to predicting a Georgia win if the two face off in the SECCG, but I see no reason to think the Dawgs can’t play well enough to surpass what Florida almost accomplished.
Get The Picture 
I don’t have any major disagreements with either assessment. After last Saturday I don’t think this is a normal Saban led Alabama. Their defense is not physical or tackles well. On offense their young QB seems to have been told don’t run across the line of scrimmage. They are very thin at back up QB. He is there only option now and can be rattled. Their O line had all kinds of problems with the turds pass rush. Georgia’s front seven is a much bigger faster problem.
Bama has plenty of time and talent to fix these problems. Georgia still has plenty of games to win to earn the right to play them. Assuming Bama gets to the SECCG.
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I don’t disagree with any of your points and that Bama should be a better team in December than they were last Saturday. That being said, and I think that it was Stinchcomb I heard talk about it on the radio, fixing O line problems that aren’t injury related during a season is one of the most difficult things to fix in-season.
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We’ll know more about Bama in 3 weeks, after they play the Kiffin Kancer and A&M.
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Kiffin hung half a hundred on them last year. I think every Alabama fan is nervous about that game.
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I’m worried Ole Miss is going to beat Bama and wind up in Atlanta. I don’t want to play them with Corral throwing it 70 times.
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What a thought! Who would have ever believed that some of us would like our chances against Alabama better than our chances against Ole Miss?
But I agree. If CLK gets his defensive game together it’ll be something.
It’s hard to back this up, but I believe OM will beat Bama. I don’t think Saban has an answer for the OM offense and it’s already showing in his demeanor.
And Bama fans are in huge denial that anything is wrong…Georgia is just a flash in the pan and Saban will right the ship, etc.
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Well, they are actually playing a little defense this year as well. They shut down Tulane which gave OU all they wanted, and shit down Louisville. I think they give Bama all they want.
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LOL. I meant to type “shut down Louisville” but they pretty much did shit down Louisville’s neck in the first half of that game.
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LOL.
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I want nothing to do with Ole Miss, either. I know the world is light years different, but what they did to us in 2016 haunts me. While I certainly don’t think that would happen again, that offense can pour it on anybody at anytime. Fall asleep for a quarter and your ass is in a 21 pt hole.
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This.
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All I know is Saban is loving the criticisms of his team. Last time the mafia played the “dynasty is over” card, Bama ramped things up and we got stuck playing them in a rain soaked game where we got destroyed. Good luck to the next few team that play them.
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Media, not mafia
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Same difference. 😉
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No. The Mafia has more scruples than the media and is a little more honest.
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That’s how you got into the CIA, they wouldn’t let you in the mafi-A…
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Why can’t we be friends?
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Pre-law, pre-med, what’s the difference?
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Freud nods his head.
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Yeah I’m not sold on Bama’s great demise either. Florida dug themselves out of a hole which was impressive, but Bama did still win the game playing in a hostile environment with a new OC, QB and a largely retooled roster.
Also not quite sold on Ole Miss’s defense yet. I could see them beating Bama but getting cocky and losing to the Barners or LSU.
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I’m pretty certain that our team will look and play differently by the end of October, they have to evolve offensively. It’s not like our identity on O has been an established system for a few seasons. We’ll see what we got soon enough.
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Just give the Dawgs a fair shot is all I ask. Enough of the two standards of PI. Shithead refs, man.
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Honestly my takeaway from the floribama game wasn’t “yay, Alabama looks vulnerable!”, it was “shit, Florida looks pretty good and if we don’t beat them we’re not going to play Alabama”. I actually haven’t even given much thought to how we’d match up against Alabama since October looks plenty challenging on its own.
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Dumb take. Gators almost win with running QB. UGA does not have running QB so we have less of a chance? How about we can actually throw the ball and we’ve yet to see how the Bama D deals with that.
P.S. 9-6 win in the SECCG would be nerve wracking but sweeeeetttt!
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Except that I would run out of bourbon, pass out, and never remember how awesome the game was. DVR for the win.
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Totally agree. If Pickens is back, the WRs are Pickens, Burton, Kearis. The TEs are Darnell and Bowers. The OL can pass-block. The RBs are dangerous. Bama gonna have to pick its poison.
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Let’s get to championship game first. One game at a time.
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