College Football Championship 2022: Odds, Prop Bets for Georgia vs. Alabama
The College Football Playoff National Championship has typically been a high-scoring affair.
The Alabama Crimson Tide posted 52 points in their triumph over the Ohio State Buckeyes last year, and Nick Saban's team has produced over 40 points in two of its three title victories in the playoff era.
Alabama's lowest-scoring national championship victory came against the Georgia Bulldogs in its 26-23 overtime win in 2018.
Georgia's defense would love to limit Alabama beneath the 30-point mark again, but the Crimson Tide offense is playing at such a high level right now.
Stetson Bennett and the Bulldogs offense may be forced to counter a high-scoring game from Alabama, and that may lend itself to a back-and-forth first half, as we saw in the first meeting between the two teams in the SEC Championship game.
1st Half over 25.5 Points
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Alabama and Georgia combined for 41 points in the first half of the SEC Championship game.
The Crimson Tide broke that contest open in the second quarter with 24 points behind Bryce Young in what turned out to be a Heisman Trophy-clinching half.
They must get out to a fast start against the Georgia defense to avoid being stuck in a low-scoring affair.
Georgia would love nothing more than to slow down the scoring pace and win a contest in which both programs struggle to reach 30 points. It used that strategy in 2018 to keep the Alabama offense in check until Tua Tagovailoa linked up with DeVonta Smith for the game-winning touchdown in overtime.
Alabama should look to make a few big plays through the air in the first half to take Georgia out of its comfort zone.
Young needs to attempt to get the ball in Jameson Williams' hands to make Georgia rethink its game plan going into halftime.
Georgia will likely try to make the quarterback uncomfortable with its pass rush and send multiple defenders at the wide receiver to limit his production.
Williams can still break free from the coverage, and Alabama has a few other weapons across the middle—such as Slade Bolden and Cameron Latu who can hurt the Bulldogs, especially in the red zone.
Georgia must counter whatever the Alabama offense does. Stetson Bennett and Co. proved they are capable of doing that for a half in Atlanta in December.
The Bulldogs posted 17 first-half points, and Bennett finished with 340 passing yards and three touchdown throws.
Both defenses should make adjustments at halftime and that may slow down the pace of the contest, like it did in the SEC Championship. Only 24 points were scored in the second half.
Look for a similar type of game to play out in Indianapolis, as both offenses try to put their opponent under pressure from the start in an attempt to gain some type of early advantage.
Alabama Team Total over 25.5 Points
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Alabama has scored more than 25 points in 12 of its 14 games this season. It has eclipsed that mark in all three of its national championship triumphs of the playoff era as well.
Young found a way to carve up the Georgia defense in December, and he should use the knowledge gained from that matchup to pick holes in the Bulldogs secondary again.
His job will be tougher than it was a month ago since John Metchie III is out with a torn ACL, but he has plenty of other weapons to move the ball down the field with.
Williams will be Young's primary target, and he is going to make a handful of catches. His yardage production will be dependent on how well Georgia contains him in the open field. The receiver had 184 yards and two touchdowns in the SEC Championship game.
Williams did not make that big of an impact in the Cotton Bowl, but he still managed seven catches for 62 yards against one of the best defensive back duos in the country in Ahmad Gardner and Coby Bryant of the Cincinnati Bearcats.
Slade Bolden, Jahleel Billingsley, Cameron Latu and Jacorey Brooks are among the other players Young needs to rely on to air the ball out and make the Georgia defense feel uncomfortable. Eight different Alabama players caught a pass in Atlanta in December.
The Tide should call on their rushing attack closer to the end zone, but it will not be their main source of offensive production against Georgia's dominant front seven.
Young achieved success through the air against the Bulldogs in his first meeting and the second clash of SEC powers could present the same production level, especially if he works Williams into the game throughout the first half.
Brock Bowers to Score a Touchdown
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Individual college football props are only offered in certain states. If they available to you, Brock Bowers is worth a look as a touchdown scorer.
The Georgia tight end was a menace to the Alabama secondary in the SEC Championship game, where he caught 10 passes for 139 yards and a touchdown.
Bowers hauled in six of his 12 touchdown catches over the last four games. He had five catches for 55 yards in the Orange Bowl triumph over the Michigan Wolverines.
The 20-year-old will be targeted by Stetson Bennett as much as Young tries to get the ball to Williams for Alabama. The freshman TE could be a game-changer in clutch situations.
If a receiving-yards prop is offered for Bowers, the over is worth a look as well. He hit the 100-yard mark in two of his last three trips to field.
Bowers is a reliable target for Bennett and should be thrown to at a high volume, even with George Pickens in better shape from his injury recovery than he was a month ago.
An argument can be made that for Georgia to win, Bowers has to be the star he was in the SEC Championship, and that makes him an easy target for a touchdown scorer prop.
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