The Alabama Crimson Tide have opened as 4.5-point favorites on the National Championship odds over the Georgia Bulldogs.
The Crimson Tide reached their third-straight National Championship Game by beating Clemson 24-6 in Monday night’s Sugar Bowl. Hours earlier, Georgia moved onto the title game by taking care of Oklahoma 54-48 in a dramatic double-overtime victory at the Rose Bowl.
“The way the semis unfolded certainly factors into the oddsmaking for this matchup, given that Alabama played such a complete game and looked like juggernauts while Georgia simply appeared to be on the right side of a shootout,” said BetDSI odds consultant, Jacob Crossman. “The thought was to be higher than a field goal to give Alabama the respect it deserves, but not near a touchdown where we’re giving too much value to a quality Georgia club.”
Alabama’s dominant performance in the Sugar Bowl removed all doubt that it belonged in the College Football Playoff. The Crimson Tide became the first team in the CFP era to reach the National Championship Game without winning a conference championship. This only happened once in the BCS era, and it happened to be when Alabama beat LSU in the National Championship Game in 2012.
Georgia is also the first No. 3 seed to beat the National Championship odds and get into the title game in the CFP’s history. The double-overtime victory over the Sooners marked the only one of the national semifinals to be decided by single-digits in the last four years. It was the first time a CFP game went into overtime.
Georgia’s win in the Sugar Bowl made it the fifth different SEC team to reach the National Championship Game since 2007, joining LSU, Florida and Auburn. The SEC winner has gotten to the title game in 12 consecutive seasons.
The Bulldogs last won the National Championship in 1980.
Nick Saban has dominated the majority of teams he has run into in the SEC, and Georgia is no exception. The Crimson Tide have beaten the Bulldogs in all three meetings dating back to 2008, including a 2015 game in which Alabama was a short, 1.5-point underdog.
That game marked the last time the Tide were dogs in a game and the only time they have been underdogs in a game in the 2010s. The Crimson Tide are favored in their 40th straight game overall and their 112th game in the 113 they have played since winning the National Championship Game over Texas in January of 2010.
As underdogs on the National Championship odds, the Bulldogs are pups for just the second time this season. They were also underdogs to Notre Dame in South Bend back in Week 2 in Jake Fromm’s first career start after taking over for an injured Jacob Eason (UGA won 20-19).
The National Championship odds feature a total of 44.5. It’s the second-lowest total this bowl season behind the Outback Bowl between Michigan and South Carolina, and it marks the lowest total in any CFP game during the tournament’s brief history.
National Championship Odds
Georgia Bulldogs +4.5
Alabama Crimson Tide -4.5
Over/Under 44.5
Odds Courtesy of BetDSI.eu
