SEC Championship 2021: Georgia vs. Alabama Breakdown, Predictions

The Alabama Crimson Tide and Georgia Bulldogs have been at the top of the SEC for quite some time, but Saturday marks only the third time since 2012 that they will meet in the SEC Championship Game.

Georgia has been the most dominant team in the FBS all season, and it is one win away from securing the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff. Alabama has been far from perfect this year, but it still only has one loss and it is the mix for a playoff spot as well.

The Bulldogs have been the more consistent side throughout SEC play, but you can never count out a team coached by Nick Saban in a championship game environment. If Alabama wins, it would likely guarantee the SEC of two playoff teams since a one-loss Georgia would not drop from No. 1 to No. 5.

The rest of the potential playoff teams across the country should be hoping for Georgia to continue its high level of defensive play to knock the Crimson Tide out of the playoff picture and open up three spots for non-SEC teams.

Georgia Owns Top-Rated Defense

John Bazemore/Associated Press

Georgia has been on top of the college football rankings for most of the season because of its defensive output.

The Bulldogs did not allow a single opponent to score more than 17 points in 12 regular-season games. And since October 30, Georgia has held four of its five opponents to single-digit totals. The Tennessee Volunteers had 10 points until a late score pushed their total to 17.

Georgia allowed 6.9 points and 230.4 yards per game, both of which are the best totals produced by an FBS defense.

The Bulldogs will be favored on Saturday in Atlanta because of their tremendous defense and the shaky offense Alabama has put on the field at times.

The Crimson Tide failed to score a touchdown until the final minutes of the Iron Bowl on Saturday, and they needed four overtimes to avoid an upset bid from the Auburn Tigers. Alabama's offense also struggled against the LSU Tigers. The Tide scored 20 points in a game that should have been a blowout on paper.

The lingering concerns about Alabama's scoring output make this an even tougher matchup for the Crimson Tide. If Georgia keeps up its impressive defense, it should earn its 13th victory of the season and lock in the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.

Is Bryce Young Playing for the Heisman Trophy?

Butch Dill/Associated Press

The Heisman Trophy race is a mess.

Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker III and Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud were deemed as front-runners at different points of the season, but both players will not be involved in conference championship week.

Young heads to Atlanta with 3,901 passing yards, 40 touchdowns and four interceptions. If he plays well against UGA's defense, he could create separation between himself and the other candidates in the Heisman race.

The lack of a runaway Heisman favorite has opened the door for discussion about Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson and Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Davis as potential winners, but a defensive player has not won the Heisman since Charles Woodson in 1997.

Young has the potential to create a few Heisman moments against the nation's top-rated defense, but he needs to play well from the start. If Georgia makes a few early stops and gets Alabama's offense out of a rhythm, Young and Co. could be chasing the lead, just like they did at Auburn.

Young also needs to remain upright in the pocket. He was sacked on seven occasions by Auburn, and three other defenses got to him four times this season.

A lot has to go right for Young and Bama to win Saturday, but he proved in the win over Auburn that he could lead a game-tying drive in a pressure-packed situation. If Young delivers again versus Georgia, he could give Alabama back-to-back Heisman winners after DeVonta Smith won last season.

Prediction

Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

Georgia 21, Alabama 14

Georgia will not run away with the SEC title.

The Bulldogs defense should frustrate Young and stop him from putting up eye-popping passing totals, but they might not pull away by multiple scores, as they have done in every other game this season.

Alabama held five of its past six opponents to 24 or fewer points. The defensive unit allowed the Tide to stay in the Iron Bowl and produce a fourth-quarter comeback. Young might not turn in the same heroics as he did at Jordan-Hare Stadium, but he will at least be given the chance to fill the hero role.

Georgia has made all the necessary stops it needed to make in previous games. The best defense in the nation should make enough plays to halt Young's progress, but the job will take until the fourth quarter to complete.