College Football Playoff National Championship: Georgia opens as a 2.5-point favorite

The last time the Georgia Bulldogs and Alabama Crimson Tide met, the Tide pulled away in the second half to give Nick Saban his 10th SEC championship and a 41-24 victory. The last time these two teams faced off with a national title on the line, Alabama escaped with a 26-23 overtime win.

Sportsbooks have a little more faith in the Bulldogs in the latest rematch.

Georgia opened as a 2.5-point favorite in the College Football Playoff National Championship at Tipico Sportsbook, giving Bama fans and Saban stans a little extra “rat poison” in advance of 2021’s ultimate game and a little cushion when it comes to laying bets on their team. The Crimson Tide were a six-point underdog when they met the Bulldogs in Atlanta with a conference title on the line before reminding the world, yep, they’re still Alabama.

Georgia didn’t let that loss derail its season. The Dawgs returned for the Orange Bowl and laid the kind of beating on Michigan that sends the MGoBlog servers spiraling for backup. Alabama kept its momentum rolling as well; though Cincinnati put forth a valiant effort, the Tide’s collection of blue chip recruits proved too much for the Group of Five’s first-ever College Football Playoff participant.

There will be no lack of familiarity in this year’s College Football Playoff National Championship. We’ve seen this game play out before — on a neutral field with a championship on the line as well. But early lines suggest some faith in UGA head coach Kirby Smart in his latest chance to break through and give the Bulldogs their first national title since 1980.

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