The No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs dominated the No. 9 Alabama Crimson Tide to clinch a consecutive SEC title and guarantee a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff. Here's how it unfolded.
Things went from bad to worse for the No. 9 Alabama Crimson Tide as the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs continued to assert their dominance in a lopsided 28-7 win in the SEC Conference Championship. The Bulldogs will clinch a first-round bye in the College Football Playoffs with their 16th SEC championship, and consecutive ones at that. The Crimson Tide lost their first title contest since 2008.
Georgia took a 21-0 lead to start the title game. After the opening touchdown from Gunner Stockton to Roderick Robinson, Ty Simpson was intercepted by Daylen Everette on the following drive. The Bulldogs turned that into a 14-0 lead with Gunner Stockton throwing his first of three touchdown passes to Dillon Bell. Nate Frazier recorded the first score of the second half in the third quarter, and the game felt all but over for Alabama. Georgia answered Alabama’s lone score with their fourth touchdown of the night with a 13-yard pass to Zachariah Branch.
Stockton was the MVP in the game after completing 20-of-26 passes for 156 yards and three touchdowns. His counterpart for the Crimson Tide, Ty Simpson, decidedly struggled in contrast completing 19-of-39 passes for 212 yards, one touchdown and an interception.
Here is the full story from Alabama Roundtable writer Hannah Stephens on the lopsided loss and an argument that Simpson should’ve been benched at halftime.
While Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer was 2-0 against the Bulldogs, including a 24-21 win earlier this season, Georgia was the better team at the start of kickoff. Perhaps the gritty wins this season mattered. They trailed in seven of eight games to go 7-1 in conference play and clinch a spot – and a win – in the SEC title game. Their only loss was to Alabama in September, which allowed the Crimson Tide to get to a rematch.
They are arguably the two most dominant SEC teams in modern history. They combine for now 46 SEC titles with the Bulldogs’ 16th title. Both teams are still likely to make the College Football Playoff, though it’s not as certain for the Crimson Tide. History would all but guarantee that they’ll make it – especially after they jumped Notre Dame to the No. 9 slot in the penultimate rankings. The committee has said they won’t penalize teams in title games. That remains to be seen with just one season of the expanded 12-team format.