Talking with Greg McElroy last week, Paul Finebaum talked about Alabama's 'Swagger Factor' in relation to the Georgia Bulldogs. Headlines indicate otherwise, but Finebaum was talking about Alabama football fans rather than Crimson Tide players.
During an episode of Always College Football, Finebaum said, "I can already predict if the confidence comes back what Alabama fans are going to be saying the week of the Georgia game. They’re going to have a swagger, because they really do believe they own Georgia. Now, we can snicker, but the record lately, for the most part, backs that up."
Alabama Football Dominates Georgia
Finebaum's perspective was predicated on a convincing Alabama win over Wisconsin. The Alabama Crimson Tide delivered just that. As Alabama fans know and Georgia fans hate, Finebaum is correct in saying Alabama's success over the Bulldogs is backed up by game history. Since an overtime loss in Tuscaloosa during the 2007 season, Alabama has beaten the Bulldogs nine out of ten games. Only one of the wins took place in Athens, GA. However, five of the Alabama wins took place in Atlanta, just a short drive from Athens.
Georgia has won 33 straight games in Athens and should be favored on Sept. 27. Currently, FanDuel has the Bulldogs favored by 4.5 points. Sanford Stadium and what will be a rabid Georgia crowd comprise around four points in the projected spread. Can some level of 'Alabama Swagger' make the game more like a toss-up? No is the most logical answer. Alabama players will be prepared and confident, but they will not exceed Georgia in swagger. No matter how much swagger Alabama football fans have, the game's outcome will be determined by the best execution of football's fundamentals.
The losing team will suffer a setback in their championship chances. An Alabama loss would hit the Crimson Tide harder. Harder not caused by losing to a rival, but because Alabama, with two losses before the end of September, would have its Playoff chances considerably dimmed. Since Georgia escaped Knoxville with a win on Saturday night, the Bulldogs would not be much damaged by a loss.
Note: Alabama vs. Georgia game history provided by mcubed.net