Two Heavyweights On A Collision Course

The pending showdown seems all but certain.

Alabama and Georgia are rolling toward a big-time collision in the SEC championship game in a few weeks. Yes, a little of the luster has come off this highly anticipated matchup, but make no mistake, it is still going to be must viewing.

Georgia faced its toughest test of the season to date last Saturday against Kentucky. The Wildcats entered the game with an identical 6-0 record which had them ranked 11th.

UGA was also undefeated and ranked first following Alabama’s stunning upset loss to Texas A&M the previous week.

The game in Athens went about as expected. Kentucky is certainly a solid team and may not lose again in the regular season. The Wildcats are clearly the second-best team in the SEC East but Mark Stoops has turned in a praiseworthy performance in Lexington.

However, there was certainly an overall talent gap between Georgia and Kentucky. The 30-13 final score was about as much as the Wildcats could have realistically hoped for playing on the road in a hostile environment.

Alabama, meanwhile, was looking to bounce back against a Mississippi State team which can be dangerous and entered the contest above 500. The Crime Tide set the tone early and rolled to an easy win against the Bulldogs, cow bells and all.

With Iowa being upset by Purdue at home last Saturday, there was a major shakeup in the Associated Press poll. Cincinnati and Oklahoma are now numbers two and three respectively with Alabama climbing back into the top four. Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Oklahoma State, Michigan State and Oregon round out the top 10.

The previously mentioned Hawkeyes of Iowa fell all the way from number two to number 11.

In terms of the SEC, Georgia has already punched its ticket to the conference championship game on December 4. Alabama still controls its own destiny to make it. If the Crime Tide wins out, Nick Saban’s team will be there.

That sets up what we all figured would happen anymore. While Alabama’s one loss is still being analyzed, the team now has laser focus and shouldn’t be open to another upset.

Saban is always at his best in big games. The showdown with Georgia will certainly qualify. To this point in the season the Bulldogs have truly looked unbeatable.

However, don’t rule Saban and the Tide out just yet. Georgia has the luxury of making it to the playoffs even if it losses in the SEC title game. There are really no other dominant teams and many “experts” question where Cincinnati will even make it in the playoffs, despite the number two ranking currently held by the Bearcats.

In the late 80s, Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield were on track for a big-time heavyweight boxing showdown. Tyson’s stunning upset loss to Buster Douglas also dampened that matchup but it was still worth seeing when it finally happened.

Georgia and Alabama are the two heavyweights of college football this season. And similar to the old boxing heavyweight rivalry of Holyfield and Tyson, the two teams may very well be on track to step into the ring against each other more than once before all is said and done.

Monticello native Chris Bridges has contributed to The Monticello News since 1988. He welcomes feedback about this column at pchrisbridges@gmail.com.