When it comes to Alabama Football, David Pollack is not back-tracking. Just before the season began, Pollack, along with GameDay regulars Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard picked the Alabama Crimson Tide to win the SEC. The only GameDay host to pick Georgia was Lee Corso, who said,
"The question is, do the Dawgs really think they can beat Alabama? This is their year."
Pollack was one ex-Dawg who thought otherwise. For Pollack, going against the school where he was a star player, could not have been easy. Though Pollack picked the Crimson Tide to win in Atlanta, he predicted Georgia would take down Alabama Football for the National Championship.
This week Pollack stuck to his prediction, saying on ESPN,
"I might be sticking a little to preseason, but I do think Alabama can beat Georgia. I think Bryce Young, again another guy that’s ascending, you can tell a man he’s playing great; the balance on offense, his ability to buy time, make plays. …Georgia’s maybe offense may be catching up, still getting better, still improving. I like it. But I think SEC championship, I think Bama wins that one. And I think that they repeat and play each other for the natty."
Never one to miss a hype opportunity, Paul Finebaum disagreed with Pollack. Finebaum said,
"Quite frankly, I don’t really know how you can make a statement like that right now"
Finebaum could well be right or he could be following his ESPN-defined script as a designated pot stirrer.
There are valid arguments for predicting a Crimson Tide or Bulldogs win in the SEC Championship. The Bulldogs’ defense has been outstanding, though as we discussed in a previous post, their not-tough schedule, may have made them appear more elite than they really are.
As Finebaum pointed out, Alabama Football inconsistencies have been troublesome. Bryce Young has shown steady improvement into one of the nation’s best quarterbacks. The Crimson Tide’s defensive front has also shown improvement. Other areas, namely communication issues in the secondary and a less than dominating right side of the offensive line linger.
It feels correct to say it is the Crimson Tide, rather than Georgia, that must improve the most before the SEC Championship game.
Alabama football fans are comfortable believing the Crimson Tide will improve enough to beat the Dawgs. When it does, David Pollack will look like a soothsayer – or a traitor, to Georgia fans.