Alabama vs. Georgia: Odds and 2018 College Football Championship Prediction

Talk of the SEC's downfall ended fast—the Alabama Crimson Tide and Georgia Bulldogs collide in Monday's College Football Championship Game in Atlanta. 

There, in the heart of SEC country at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the SEC will grasp a ninth national title over a 12-year span. Nick Saban will claim yet another or see his former defensive coordinator Kirby Smart raise one for the conference and a Georgia team built oddly similar to Saban's juggernaut. 

Keep in mind, too, this is the first year in CFP history a conference has more than one team in the final four to begin with, which speaks to the dominance of both. These programs silenced any doubters about their candidacy in the opening round of the CFP, besting dominant competition en route to Atlanta. 

Before the heavyweight SEC matchup gets underway, let's take a look at everything to know. 

2018 College Football Championship

Date: Monday, January 8

Time: 8 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Live Stream: Watch ESPN

Odds: Alabama (-5), O/U 52.5

Preview 

Few can rightfully doubt the Crimson Tide now. 

Saban's side making the CFP seemed controversial, though as expected, they went out and made a point to put on a show against then-No. 1 Clemson, smacking around the ACC powerhouse 24-6. 

There, Jalen Hurts didn't have any problems against an elite defensive line, standing tall on the way to 120 passing yards and two scores, adding another 40 as a rusher. Speaking of the ground game, Damien Harris bullied his way to 77 yards on a 4.1 per-carry average. 

After, Harris propped up the efforts by his offensive line against such a strong front, as captured by Chandler Rome of the Anniston Star: 

Call it an all-around effort, with the Alabama defense slowing Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant, who didn't throw a touchdown. A versatile rushing attack managed all of 64 yards on a 1.9 per-carry average, too. 

Though the avenue to talking about deserving to be around and proving doubters wrong is there, Saban seems more focused on respecting another SEC power and propping up the conference ahead of Monday's showdown. 

"I'm proud of the SEC and I'm proud of the competition in our league," Saban said, according to Stats LLC (via ESPN.com). "Kirby has done a great job and has Georgia playing really well."

Georgia, owners of a lone loss coming at the hands of Auburn just like the Crimson Tide, had an understandably tougher time against Oklahoma and the best player in the nation, Baker Mayfield. 

The Bulldogs escaped 54-48 in a double-overtime instant classic, yet the defense coughed up a pair of passing scores to Mayfield, and Oklahoma didn't seem to have too many problems rushing it 45 times for 242 yards and two touchdowns on a 5.4 per-carry average. 

As usual, Georgia's saving grace was an elite backfield tandem. Sony Michel put up 181 yards and three touchdowns on only 11 rushes, and Nick Chubb was right behind him with 145 yards and two touchdowns on only 14 carries—putting both guys north of 10 yards per carry. 

On paper, Georgia counters Alabama well thanks to a pair of game-controlling running backs behind a bulldozing offensive line. But we'd be remiss not to mention a bit of historical context here, as captured by ESPN Stats & Info: 

"

Nick Saban will face Kirby Smart, his former defensive coordinator.

Saban is 11-0 all-time against his former assistants with all 11 wins coming by at least 14 points. pic.twitter.com/xY8ooOfuy2

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 2, 2018"

Georgia has the talent to trump history, but both sides seem evenly matched—which would help explain both SEC powers making the title game and oddsmakers out of Las Vegas shying away from giving this one a larger spread. 

Whichever team blinks and gives up a big play will likely fall in a game otherwise looking like a deadlock.  

Prediction 

With so much at stake, it's hard to go against the Crimson Tide. 

With elite players up front like Da'Ron Payne, Alabama is built to stop a north-south rushing attack like the one Georgia brings to Atlanta. The opposite is more concerning for the Bulldogs, though—the Sooners wrote something of a blueprint as to how a versatile rushing attack can hurt its defense and control a game. 

While the Alabama offense isn't perfect, Hurts provides some versatility in the running game that will give Georgia some problems and help the Crimson Tide pull away. The Bulldogs simply don't have the aerial firepower to complement a predictable rushing attack in what should be a close-minded affair. 

Look for Saban to keep his strong record against those he's familiar with intact by taking a lead early and sitting on the ball, limiting chunk plays as the Bulldogs struggle to mix it up offensively. 

Prediction: Alabama 24, Georgia 20

Statistics courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified. All betting information courtesy of OddsShark.