Well, who could have known that Georgia winning back to back nattys would trigger some folks?
Well, let’s just think about that a little bit by looking at a couple of stats. First, net ypp:
- 2022 UGA: 2.29
- 2020 Alabama: 2.76
- 2019 LSU: 2.78
Next, net scoring per game:
- 2022 UGA: 26.8
- 2020 Alabama: 26.8
- 2019 LSU: 27.0
And here’s what Bill Connelly ($$) has to say about the three teams SP+ numbers:
Georgia’s 37.3 overall rating placed them in the 99.6th percentile, which is virtually identical to that of Nick Saban’s best Alabama team, the 2020 rendition that tore through 13 opponents during the pandemic season. In the past 15 years, only last year’s Georgia team can come close to that mark.
SP+ percentile ratings for the past 15 college football national champions:
1. 2020 Alabama (99.6th percentile)
2. 2022 Georgia (99.6)
3. 2021 Georgia (99.5)
4. 2012 Alabama (99.4)
5. 2008 Florida (99.4)
6. 2018 Clemson (99.2)
7. 2019 LSU (99.1)
And,
Maybe the most eye-catching ranking among those 15 is 2019 LSU at No. 7. The Tigers were brimming with NFL-level talent and were so dominant at the end of the season that they are regarded by many as the best team of the CFP era. But although their offense was absurd from start to finish, their defense was terribly mediocre until the stretch run. The end-of-season version of LSU was incredible, but SP+ is a full-season measure and saw more wire-to-wire dominance from a few other recent champs.
Bottom line, Georgia’s got nothing to feel embarrassed about in making the comparison. More importantly, as Bill puts it,
The most relevant point for today, however, is that this Georgia team was either the best or co-best of the recent champs, and Kirby Smart has now produced a team as good as anything Nick Saban has produced at Alabama. Saban’s title count still makes him the greatest of the era (and maybe of all time), but it’s scary what Georgia might be able to accomplish in the coming seasons if Smart can maintain this sort of ceiling.
Most assuredly something that has never been said about 2020 LSU.
You must be logged in to post a comment.