ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit Talks Georgia Bulldogs, Alabama Crimson Tide
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ATHENS - Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs will challenge for the national title once more, ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit said Saturday.
Georgia is coming off its first national title since 1981. The No. 3 Bulldogs play No. 11 Oregon to open the season on Saturday in Atlanta.
“Georgia has enough back to give them hope - definitely of winning the SEC East,” Herbstreit answered when asked about the Bulldogs chances of winning the national title. “You bring Stetson Bennett back. You have a lot of offensive firepower. They did lost most of their defense to the NFL. But there is still enough of a nucleus there. And let's not forget how Kirby Smart has recruited.”
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Herbstreit only discussed three major teams - Alabama, Georgia and USC.
“Alabama is going to have a chip on their shoulder,” he said. “One thing I have learned is that you never question Nick Saban. The fact that they lost last year in the championship - history tells us that if they lost the year before they come back the next year with vengeance.”
Only once (2017) in the last five seasons have the Tide lost in the national title game the year before, and come back to win that game a season later. Meanwhile, Georgia has not come into a season as national champions since 1981 - a year that saw the team win the SEC, but fall short in the Sugar Bowl to Pitt. A season later Georgia lost to Penn State in the Sugar Bowl. The program waited until the 2017 season to play for it all.
“(Georgia’s) offense is going to score a lot of points with Stetson Bennett - a lot of playmakers. And they still have guys like Jalen Carter, who could be the best defensive lineman in all of college football,” he added. “Georgia is going to be there, and Alabama is Alabama.”
The two programs are not scheduled to play one another in the regular season. The SEC Championship Game is slated for December 3rd in Atlanta.