Opening odds released for Alabama vs. Georgia national championship game

For the second time in the history of the College Football Playoff, we will have an all-SEC national championship. Both the Alabama Crimson Tide and Georgia Bulldogs won their semifinal games on Friday and will now set up a much anticipated SEC Championship rematch.

Vegas oddsmakers have released the opening line for the national championship, with Georgia coming in as the favorites by 2.5 points. It will mark the second time Alabama has been underdogs this season, both coming against the Bulldogs.

As for the game total, the line has been set at 55 points. On the money line, Georgia is -140, while Alabama is +120.

Despite the Crimson Tide running through the Bulldog defense just less than a month ago, Nick Saban will be an underdog. This time, the neutral site will be a little further away for both teams, with the national championship taking place in Indianapolis, IN.

Jan. 10 will mark the fifth time the two programs have faced off since Kirby Smart was hired in Athens. Nick Saban has gotten the better of him every time, with three of them coming in the postseason. The latest one may be the best of them all.

Nick Saban talks about Cotton Bowl win before national championship

Alabama took care of business in the Cotton Bowl against Cincinnati, winning 27-6. After the game, head coach Nick Saban had nothing but praise for his team as they go to defend their national championship on January 10.

“Well, this game probably is a little bit of what the season has been all about. We’ve had some really good players that are missing and created some opportunities for other players, who have stepped up and showed that they have the confidence and competitive character to go out there and do their job in a first-class way,” Saban said.

“The players believe in each other. I think all those things were very evident in this game tonight. And I think those are things that have been a part of what this team is made of. That has given them the opportunity to now, have a chance to play in the national championship. I’m very proud of what they’ve done,” the Alabama head coach said.

“We had a young team to start with, especially on offense and those guys have done a great job. Bryce has done a great job. We were able to run the ball when we had to run it tonight. And we stopped them in the running game pretty well, which was a real key in this game. Because they do run it well and Jerome Ford is one of the better running backs we’ve played against,” he said.

Saban noted how coming into the game, he was very concerned with how his team would tackle, but he was very happy with their tackling tonight. “I was concerned about how we would tackle in the game having all the time off, but I was really pleased with the way the defensive players tackled,” he said.