Joel Klatt makes prediction for Alabama vs. Georgia rematch

The Alabama Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs are set to face off in the national championship on Monday. The two SEC programs will be meeting up for the second time this season, with Nick Saban’s squad winning the conference championship back in December.

As everyone in the industry is, Fox CFB analyst Joel Klatt gave his take on the matchup. He began by complimenting two of Alabama’s biggest assets but also talked about how the overall season has been a shaky one in Tuscaloosa.

“Nick Saban is the greatest coach we have ever seen in our sport and Bryce Young is a fabulous player,” Klatt said during an appearance of The Herd. “Having said that — Georgia has been the better team more consistently this year. We’ve seen Alabama at times — and I know they bristle at this when you bring things up but they did not play well against Florida. They did not play in a loss to Texas A&M. Arkansas. LSU got after them a little bit at times. Auburn should have beat them. All they got to do is manage the clock at the end and Auburn wins the Iron Bowl. Those things are also true and it’s very difficult to beat a team twice.”

Klatt went on to give a prediction for the game, saying he was going to ride with Kirby Smart and Georgia. He laid out a few reasons as to why, with the Bulldogs’ front seven being the main one.

“If the Georgia that shows up against Michigan shows up against Alabama, I think Georgia wins the game. I think they’re better at the defensive line spot and we saw that in spades against Michigan. If they can present pressure in Bryce Young’s face, then watch out. I think Georgia is going to be a little more motivated. Remember — they had very little motivation in that SEC Championship game. I hate using that excuse but their future was still ahead of them regardless of the outcome of that game. Now, you’re going to get to see what Georgia is fully loaded, fully ready to go. That defensive front seven is as good as any I have seen in a long time. Bama is going to have their hands full. I am going to side with the smart people in Vegas. I’m picking Georgia in this game.”

Joel Klatt will see if his prediction comes true on Monday night. Alabama and Georgia will kick off at 8:00 p.m. EST on the family of ESPN networks.