Good morning, ‘Dawgs! Only a handful of teams in college football find themselves playing for a conference championship this weekend. And your Georgia Bulldogs are one of them.
As noted yesterday the Bulldogs opened as a very slight favorite over the Crimson Tide, though the line has moved from -1.5 to -2.5. Far be it from me to diagnose exactly what the crowd in Vegas put into that number. But I think it’s safe to say that this one is a toss up. As our good friends at Roll Bama Roll noted after the Iron Bowl, the stat sheet wasn’t very kind to the Tide with regard to the Iron Bowl, in much the same way the numbers from COFH don’t cover the Dawgs in glory.
One factor that will go into deciding this game, like all late season college football games, will be injuries. Kirby Smart’s Sunday remarks on center Drew Bobo, who went down with a foot injury against Tech and left the Benz in a walking boot, weren’t terribly encouraging. It’s likely safe to say that Bobo is out for the SEC Championship Game and potentially longer.
How Georgia adjusts to that remains to be seen. The simplest fix is to simply slot in second string center Malachi Toliver, but due to his own injuries he’s not seen a snap in an SEC game this season. Freshman Dontrell Glover has worked at center, as has veteran Micah Morris. But moving. Those starters at Guard means plugging a hole at that spot. The simple fact is that Georgia is going to need someone, likely Toliver, to step up and play their best football in a big game. No pressure there, right?
While injuries may affect Georgia’s depth in the title game, that may not be the only factor. It’s also transfer portal season, and the Bulldogs appear to have their first defection in the form of reserve cornerback Daniel Harris.
Harris began the season as a starter opposite Daylen Everette but had been passed on the depth chart by Demelo Jones and Ellis Robinson. In light of that rumors of his moving on had been around for quite awhile. I suspect he’ll find the pla to g time he’s looking for elsewhere, and wish him well.
We’ll be back with more news and analysis later, but for now…
Go ‘Dawgs!!!
