Ryan Fowler’s Good, Bad, Ugly: UGA Edition

Ryan’s Reaction

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Every Monday, Nick Saban spends part of the afternoon showing his players the good plays, bad plays, and ugly plays from the previous Saturday.

The good section highlights what the team did well in the game; individual plays, series of plays, moments of the game that went good for the Crimson Tide.

The bad section focuses on plays that were run incorrectly, maybe a play designed to pick up more yardage but failed. It might include simple mistakes, a turnover or just a simple missed block or tackle.

The ugly section could also be called the disaster section, plays that went completely wrong or injuries. Ugly plays are learning moments for the team. Part of discussing the bad and ugly plays includes thinking through what they could have done differently.

Alabama vs. Georgia

Good

SEC Championships mean something, as they should, you are playing in the best league in college football, and it is not even close. I said all week on my show that Alabama was the only team in the country that could take down the back-to-back National Championships and prevent the Dawgs from winning three championships in a row. Which is something that has never been accomplished in the modern era of college football. Regardless of what happens with the committee on Sunday morning, Alabama cleared the way for someone other than Georgia to win the next National Championship. I also think the Crimson Tide temporary shut up a fan base that has allowed the last couple of years to go to their head. Georgia was also trying to establish themselves as the gold standard in college football and they came up short. Kirby Smart falls to 1-5 all-time vs. Nick Saban, which is something that is going to stick with Georgia fans for some time. Did I mention how arrogant the Dawg fans have been since beating Alabama in 2021 in Indianapolis? See David Pollack’s comment from earlier this week if you need a deeper explanation.

Over the last 15 weeks since camp started, I have never witnessed a team go through a bigger transformation as this Alabama team did in 2023. They grew as a team and that togetherness has added to the character of this team. We give credit to Jalen Milroe, Jermaine Burton, Kadyn Procter, Roydell Williams, Isaiah Bond, and I am probably leaving out another 5 players that also had the biggest transformation.

One final good salute, Will Reichard will probably go down as the greatest place kicker to ever wear the Crimson jersey. Where would this team be without Reichard? Reichard connected with a 42-yard field kick in the 1st half which allowed him to become the top NCAA score leader in college football.

Bad

Georgia’s opening drive was dominant, I thought, as many did, that it was going to be a long evening in Atlanta. Instead, this Nick Saban coached team showed the grit we have witnessed throughout the 2023 season. This team has used the doubt to provide motivation for most of the season, I guess some of the leaders heard similar whispers in the dome on Saturday. Alabama, other than a few hiccups, provided a dominating performance, most people who only read the final score will not understand that statement. The Crimson Tide controlled the game for the most part and showed the rest of college football and the most important group of people in Grapevine, Texas that Alabama belongs in the playoff.

Ugly

Since, I did not see a lot of ugly from Alabama, I would like to focus on the college football playoff committee who will be making a tough decision. I will admit they have a hard job, especially this year, because this will no doubt be the hardest selection of the entire college playoff era.

We need a better system to select the 4 teams who will compete for the top prize in college football. It starts with better football minds on the committee, fewer pencil pushers and more former football coaches and former players who have a true understanding of the game. Many people will argue that bias from certain players present potential hurdles that might favor their alma mater in a debate. I would also increase the number of people who serve on the selection committee, 12-13 committee members is not enough, it is much easier to correct bias when the committee is at least double the current rooster.

The College Football Playoff administration office owes it to these current players and fans to do the right thing. Will they do the right thing and put Alabama into the playoff? Let’s wait on the experts in the dessert to determine those projections, but I definitely think Alabama could be one of those teams who could be the favorite to win it all if the committee does the right thing.

Will Alabama have a spot in the college football playoff? We will discuss this Monday, but we are going to celebrate the 30th SEC Championship title and stopping Georgia from winning another championship. Sure, a national championship is greater than a SEC Championship but I think winning an SEC Championship is also one of the top prizes in all of college football.

Coming up Monday on The Game with Ryan Fowler on Tide 100.9, we will discuss the good, bad, and ugly. You will also have a chance to win prizes from Daniel Moore Art, starting at 2pm on Tide 100.9 and on the free Tide 100.9 app. We will have plenty to discuss on Monday.