2018 College Football Playoff Championship Game: Everything You Need To Know Alabama vs Georgia
It all comes down to one game on Monday night as Alabama and Georgia will square off for the College Football Playoff championship.
The first All-SEC title game will feature Nick Saban against his former pupil, Kirby Smart. Thousands are expected to converge on Atlanta in what might be one of the toughest tickets of all-time.
So whether you're headed to the game or watching it from home, here's everything you need to know about this year's national championship game.
No. 4 Alabama (12-1) vs No. 3 Georgia (13-1, SEC Champions)
When: Monday, January 8 at 7 PM/CT
Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA
Weather: There is a Winter Weather Advisory in Atlanta until noon on Monday as temperatures will drop into the high 20s overnight. There is a chance for freezing rain in areas during the morning hours, but temperatures should rise to 40 by the afternoon. Thankfully the dome will be climate controlled.
TV: ESPN Play-by-play: Chris Fowler, color analyst: Kirk Herbstreit, sideline reporter: Maria Taylor, Tom Rinaldi)
Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network (Play-by-play: Eli Gold, color analyst: Phil Savage, sideline reporter: Chris Stewart). Listen on 95.3 the Bear and Tide 102.9/100.9 in Tuscaloosa or on the station apps.
Spread: Alabama is a 3.5-point favorite over Georgia on Monday. The Crimson Tide is 6-7 ATS this season.
Series History: This game marks the 68th meeting between the Tide and the Bulldogs but only the second outside of the regular season. Alabama holds a 38-25-4 all-time advantage in the series, and the only postseason meeting was the 2012 SEC Championship Game. Alabama won that game 32-28 and went on to win the BCS Championship. Nick Saban is 5-2 all-time against the Bulldogs with a 3-1 record as the Tide's head coach.
Last Meeting: The last time these two teams played was the only game Alabama has been an underdog in since the 2008 SEC Championship Game. The Tide lost two weeks earlier to Ole Miss and had fallen out of the top 10. Georgia was undefeated behind Nick Chubb and ranked No. 8. On a miserably wet day, Alabama jumped out to a 24-3 halftime lead en route to a 38-10 victory in Athens.
Last Week: Georgia played in one of the best playoff games yet against No. 2 Oklahoma. After falling behind 31-14 right before halftime, the Dawgs scored 24 unanswered points to take a lead early in the fourth. The Sooners would answer with two touchdowns of their own before Georgia would score in the final minute to send it to overtime. In the second OT, Georgia blocked a field goal and then proceeded to score on a 27-yard Sony Michel run to pull off the 54-48 victory.
Meanwhile in the Sugar Bowl, Alabama returned to its dominant ways on defense, intercepting two Kelly Bryant passes and recording five sacks in a 24-6 victory. The Tide proved it belonged in the playoff with a dominant victory that saw No. 1 Clemson total just 188 yards of offense.