Does this Alabama game mean more for optics with Georgia than for reality?

System · September 25

Does this Alabama game mean more for optics with Georgia than for reality?

It all leads to a side-dish discussion to size up how many times the Crimson Tide had the better overall team here. These two schools have combined to sign the nationâs top-ranked recruiting class in eight of the last 10 years.

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NissDawg · September 25

YES. As far as morale, momentum and turning this elephant sized problem around... this game means everything. EVERYTHING

GO DAWGS 🔴🐾⚫️ SIC'M

NissDawg · September 25

edubb · September 25

look at the film! Oline and dbacks particularly. Refs definitely affected 2-3 of those games and those under Richts reign. Money maker for Vegas.

reddawg1 · September 25

It matters if we’re going to be elite! We’re at home and we have a better QB than last year(that’s all I’ve heard) and if it’s true why shouldn’t we win? If not this year then when?

Gramster · September 25

In context both programs have two national championships each in that 1-6 timeframe…but OPTICS MATTER THIS WEEK, JUST BEAT BAMA…then we can move on the next week's optics which will be on Kirby being 0-1 against Lane and Ole Miss since 2024…

Eastmandawg · September 25

pride, bragging rights, recruiting and shutting them up. It’s a feel good thang…

PlateauDawg · September 25

To be the man you gotta beat the man…more than once every 7 tries.

navydawg · September 25

It matters for Reality AND Optics. Recruits look at it. Our current team Needs it to gain confidence. It’ll get a little bit of the Bama **** off Kirby’s back. And we Dawgs fans sure want it. So absolutely YES our Dawgs need to Win this game in front of the home crowd.

On an off topic note just a smidgen it seems Totally unjust and unfair and possibly against SEC and maybe even NCAA rules that Nick Saban receives $500K a year as an “advisor” to Bama and yet is on the ESPN crew. If it’s None of those afore mentioned things it seems immoral at least.
So if our beloved Dawgs post a W on the now DeBoer coached Trickle oops Tide, then they will have also beat The Advisor !! Go Dawgs !! Put a hard Whuppin on the Tide !!

mitch_earl · September 25

Doesn't mean squat outside Athens. The national media regards the power as having shifted to the Big 10. Bama doesn't see Georgia as a rival because the schools rarely play each other and UGA hasn't won titles often. Their biggest short and intermediate term issue is whether DeBoer is the guy, and last season showed that beating UGA doesn't prove this.

Even in Athens, how much should it mean? At this juncture, you can't point to a player that UGA has at QB, OT, RB, WR, TE, DE, OLB or CB that looks like a future All-SEC or NFL 1st, 2nd or 3rd round pick. It's early and UGA has only played 1 major college foe, but with the exceptions of Amarius Mims, Ladd McConkey, Brock Bowers, Mykel Williams, and Jalon Walker plus give or take Carson Beck, these are issues that have plagued UGA since the 2023 season. Beating a Bama team that Oklahoma, Michigan and FSU ran off the field in their last 3 real games won't mean much. But if UGA loses to Bama, it will just continue the trend in big games that started in the 2023 SEC title game that - as the writer mentioned - Mims, Bowers and McConkey were nowhere near 100% in. Contrast that to how UGA won the 2021 national title with George Pickens and Darnell Washington hurt for most of the year and repeated it in 2022 with AD Mitchell and Kendall Milton hurt most of the year.

Granted, UGA can still go far this year because there doesn't seem to be a dominant team. But "the lack of dominant teams" definitely includes UGA. UGA lacks the pass rush or CB play to be elite on defense. They lack the elite skill players and OT play to be dominant on offense. They have good players on both sides of the ball: good DTs, safeties and ILBs; good RBs and TEs, Stockton is playing well and Zachariah Branch is the best WR UGA has had since McConkey (though not as good). Adds up to a very good team but not a great one. That is still going to be true whether UGA beats Bama or not.

UGADawg · September 26

One of the worst things as a fan is wondering what if [from a losing prospective]…What if that offsides call wasn’t? What if Bowers and Ladd were healthy? What if we started the game the way we ended the game? What if we played them at our house? In REALITY a win or a loss probably won’t make or break the season. We still have a lot of football to play and will need to either continue to be successful or show the CFPC that we belong. From an OPTICS standpoint though I would argue it could mean something. After this game Alabama still has to play Mizz, TN, LSU, OK, and Auburn. Chances are they lose at least one of those games. So a win Saturday COULD knock AL out of the CFP should they end the season with at least 3 loses. The domino effect- not making CFP in the first two years post Saban - would affect future recruiting and how AL is viewed moving forward.

This game matters because of the recent record history. That narrative hypes up the game and tv ratings. But as Jeff pointed out - only true DawgFans know the truth goes beyond the numbers. Win this game and the narrative is gone. It’s time.

Tswood1959 · September 26

0-3 in the SEC Championship in Atlanta (2017, 2018 and 2023) In my old age my mind is slipping but wasn’t it Auburn we beat in the 2017 SEC Championship game in 2017?