It's no great shock that Alabama and UGA will meet in the SEC title game next month, given how both programs started the season ranked in the top five.
However, after an offseason of significant personnel turnover (read: losing a slew of players to the NFL), and factoring in the annual difficulty of playing an SEC schedule, it's very surprising to see the Crimson Tide and Dawgs clinch their respective divisions on the first weekend of November.
While overcoming a pair of top-10 opponents ... at difficult road venues.
Perhaps ESPN ought to characterize the day as Shakedown Saturday, because that's exactly how things played out in Lexington and Baton Rouge, respectively.
During the 3:30 p.m. window, Georgia (No. 6 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings) wasted no time in dispensing of No. 9 Kentucky, 34-17.
The Dawgs backfield—highlighted by D'Andre Swift (156 yards, 2 TDs) and Elijah Holyfield (115 yards, 1 TD)—amassed 331 rushing yards on the ground. In doing so, UGA became the first team this year to score 21 or more points against Kentucky's physical defense.
Quarterback Jake Fromm handled his secondary role with the usual aplomb, passing for 113 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions.
There were two fumble exchanges involving Fromm ... but these errors would fall under the category of 'correctable mistakes,' as the Dawgs (8-1, 6-1 in SEC play) prepare for three beatable opponents (Auburn, UMass, Georgia Tech) before encountering Alabama in the SEC title game.
Speaking of the Crimson Tide (9-0, 6-0 in SEC ... No. 1 in Playoff rankings) ... they looked every part of the nation's most vaunted team, blanking No. 3 LSU 29-0 on the road.
The shutout victory was so impressive, so thorough, so physical ... that some in the 11Alive newsroom wondered aloud: Could the NFL's Oakland Raiders beat Alabama?
The answer is, of course not, since there's a major gap between the NFL and college football.
That said, if any team could pull off such a feat, it would probably be the Crimson Tide, who boast the nation's best offense, defense and head coach (Nick Saban), along with the presumptive Heisman Trophy winner (QB Tua Tagovalioa).
(Georgia and Alabama met in last year's national title game, with the Crimson Tide rallying to stun the Dawgs in overtime.)
The eye test suggests both Alabama and Georgia have enough talent to win the national championship.
However, the way things are progressing among other national powers (Clemson, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, etc.), the SEC's clash of titans (Dec. 1 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium) will likely be a play-in game for the four-team Playoff—since UGA has one defeat on the season (@ LSU).
Of course, Alabama intimately knows the feeling of losing late in a campaign and still advancing to the national semifinals. But unlike last year, there are no impending losses to Auburn on the horizon ... or much outside help from other conferences.
