Thirty-eight days after playing for an SEC championship, and 1,464 days after last playing for a national title, Alabama and Georgia will once again meet for college football's biggest prize.
Few are surprised to see Nick Saban's Crimson Tide and Kirby Smart's Bulldogs reach this point, especially coaches who faced their teams this season. The trickier part is figuring out how the CFP National Championship (8 p.m. ET Monday on ESPN/ESPN App) will unfold.
Will Alabama continue its dominance of Georgia, which hasn't beaten the Tide since Saban's first season in 2007 (when Smart served as Alabama's defensive backs coach)? The top-ranked Tide aim for their second consecutive national title and seventh under Saban.
The third-ranked Bulldogs looked like the nation's best team until running into Alabama the first time, and they have a chance for the sweetest redemption possible. After 41 years without a national title, Georgia enters arguably its biggest game in team history.
To break things down, I reached out to several SEC coaches who faced Alabama and Georgia this season. Here are their thoughts on how things could unfold in Indianapolis.
Both teams belong on the championship stage
Alabama didn't look nearly as dominant this season as in 2020, when it won all but one game by 15 points or more and outscored foes 630-252. The 2021 Tide got a Week 3 scare at Florida, lost to Texas A&M on Oct. 9 and were far from dominant in wins over LSU, Arkansas and Auburn.
But the postseason has brought out the best in Saban's team, which beat Georgia 41-24 behind quarterback Bryce Young's 421 pass yards and three touchdowns, and kept Cincinnati out of the end zone in a 27-6 College Football Playoff semifinal win.
Georgia looks more like the Alabama team from 2020. All but one of Georgia's 13 wins have come by 17 points or more, including a 34-11 clobbering of Michigan in the CFP semifinal. Its historically elite defense has allowed only 135 points all season, as well as small totals for rushing touchdowns (3), yards per carry (2.7), first downs (75), first-quarter points allowed (22) and third-quarter points allowed (21).
"Those are definitely the two most talented teams in the country," an SEC coordinator said. "The right two ended up playing for [the championship]."
Another SEC coordinator added: "I want to see a competitive ballgame. If you're talking about who's got the best team, in my opinion it's Georgia. Alabama may have the three best players on the field, though, in Bryce Young, the [Will] Anderson kid at end and the [Jameson] Williams kid at receiver."
Yet another SEC coordinator said he couldn't see a clear advantage for either team entering the matchup, especially with Alabama wide receiver John Metchie III (97 receiving yards, one touchdown in the SEC championship) sidelined with a torn ACL.
"It will come down to turnover margin and limiting explosive plays," the coach said. "They're really evenly matched in a lot of ways. It'll be a hell of a game on the line of scrimmage, a lot of fun to watch."
Georgia must attack Young differently
The story of the SEC championship game was Young carving up Georgia's defense and Alabama's beleaguered offensive line keeping its quarterback mostly clean. Georgia did not record a sack, though the Bulldogs were credited with eight quarterback hurries. Ultimately, a Bulldogs front seven respected and feared around much of college football -- "About as good as anything I've ever seen," one SEC offensive coordinator said -- didn't do enough to disrupt Young, who clinched the Heisman Trophy with his performance.
"Bryce Young's just so damn cerebral that he just makes things happen," an SEC offensive coordinator said. "He's so good pre- and post-snap. He knows what's going on and you can't just stand there and let him react all game, let him just be the guy dictating."
Coaches think Georgia needs a more aggressive approach in the title game.
"Georgia has the personnel, but they found themselves getting a four-man rush and not getting much pressure on the quarterback with what they brought, and they paid the price," an SEC coordinator said. "The matchups are in [Georgia's] favor. [Alabama's] offensive line is good, but not as good as everybody believes it to be, because nobody wants to go at it. You go back and look at the tape, people who have gone at them have found ways to get pressure."
Alabama ranks 102nd nationally in sacks allowed per game (2.71). The Tide allowed 11 sacks combined in the two games before the SEC championship and three or more sacks in five games.
Several SEC coaches noted some weaknesses with Alabama's offensive line.
"If they have a weak point, that was it," one said. "It looks like they've made really nice strides in the last few weeks."
An SEC defensive coordinator said teams must attack Alabama's line from wider angles.
"Georgia needs to exploit the Alabama tackles more than they did the first game," he said. "Auburn gave Alabama fits with their edge rushers, but Georgia tried to run more internal pressures up the middle. They do have good linebackers, but Alabama did a good job of sniffing out those pressures and blocking the right guys."
An SEC offensive coordinator said Georgia must do a better job of imposing its depth on Alabama, noting that one of the Bulldogs' best defensive linemen, nose tackle Jalen Carter, doesn't even start. If Georgia's front seven doesn't control the game more, the coach said, Young once again will attack downfield, likely targeting safeties who are "super average."
"They have to affect the pocket from inside," another SEC offensive coordinator said. "Flush [Young] out, not up. If you can get people in his lap a little bit, you have a better chance."
Added an SEC coach: "They just keep coming and coming and coming. They've got a lot of bodies."
Another coach said Georgia cranks up the pressure, the Bulldogs must be aware of Young's mobility in the pocket.
"A lot of times, quarterbacks will get spooked if they feel pressure in their face, but Bryce, even though he's a smaller guy, is so good at breaking the pocket when there's not that outside pressure and seeing everything," he said. "He does as good a job as anybody I've seen in a long time of keeping his eyes downfield when he's pressured. His eyes never drop to see the rushers."
Bennett's path to redemption against the Tide
Much of the criticism for Georgia's SEC championship game loss fell on quarterback Stetson Bennett, the former walk-on who has efficiently led the offense this season. But Bennett correctly pointed out Monday that he "played all right" in the SEC title game, passing for 340 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.
He will need to be sharper this time around, especially with avoiding turnovers. But after an impressive response against a solid Michigan defense -- 313 pass yards, three touchdowns, 66.7% completions, 32 rush yards -- Bennett showed he can handle the big stage.
"Is he Bryce Young? No. But the dude is good enough with his feet and he's smart enough to extend plays when he plays within himself," an SEC defensive coordinator said. "He can't make that one boneheaded mistake. Check it down or throw it away. That's how you beat Bama. Your defense is good enough to win it, and offensively, your weapons are better than their weapons."
An SEC head coach added of Bennett: "He's definitely a manager, but he's a really good player and he can distribute it."
Georgia neutralized Michigan's pass-rushing tandem of Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo and repeatedly got the ball out quickly with swing passes to playmakers in space. Tight end Brock Bowers had three receptions for 51 yards and a touchdown on Georgia's opening drive.
Bennett spread the ball to multiple running backs, including James Cook (four receptions, 112 yards), as eight Bulldogs players recorded multiple receptions against Michigan.
"In the semifinal game, you saw them playing with tempo, mixing up their looks, not being as predictable," an SEC head coach said. "Nick knows what they do and if you give Nick time to get lined up, [Alabama's defense will be] zeroed in on them pretty good. I think this go-round, they'll have a little bit of tempo, mixing things up, putting more pressure on Bama."
Opposing coaches raved about Bowers -- "A matchup nightmare for anybody," one defensive coordinator said -- who has 22 more receptions and seven more touchdown catches than any other Georgia player.
"That guy is really not a tight end, he's a wideout masquerading as a tight end," an SEC coach said. "Those guys can do what tight ends do, which is inline block and provide chip, release and protection, but there's a matchup problem. When you're playing against 11 personnel [one running back, one tight end], you're really playing against 10 personnel. When you're playing against 12 personnel [one running back, two tight ends], it's really 11 personnel."
The coach added that Cook, like Bowers, is more of a wide receiver than his designated position. Cook ranks fourth on the team with 25 receptions, including eight in his past two games.
"Alabama's got to take away Georgia's running backs, and not just their being able to run the ball, but all those space plays, bubble screens and flares, short pass plays that are really just sweeps," an SEC defensive coordinator said. "That's the most important thing for Alabama's defense because really at wideout, Georgia is pretty average."
Georgia's receiving corps got a boost when George Pickens returned late in the season. Pickens, who tore his ACL in March, had 85 receptions for 1,240 yards and 14 touchdowns in his first two seasons.
"The best thing [Bennett] does is understand pre-snap where to go with the ball, and that's where with Pickens, he may have more chances to take a shot down the field," an SEC defensive coordinator said.
Alabama must build on recent improvements with defense, run game
Alabama's semifinal win over Cincinnati was fueled by stifling defense and a run game led by veteran Brian Robinson Jr. (career-high 204 rushing yards).
For much of the season, though, Alabama didn't thrive in either area.
"Watching them on film early on, you're like, 'Alabama has no identity in the run game, none, zero,'" an SEC offensive coordinator said. "They have no idea what they want to run. I thought that would make them too one dimensional against a team like Georgia, but they actually ran it better."
Alabama had only six net rushing yards on 26 attempts against LSU, and it didn't run the ball particularly well against Arkansas (36 carries, 112 yards) or Auburn (37 carries, 71 yards).
But the Tide found some room against Georgia with 115 yards on 26 attempts. Only two other SEC teams (Missouri, Florida) eclipsed 100 rush yards against the Bulldogs. Alabama now comes off of its season-best rushing performance, 301 yards against Cincinnati.
"It all depends on what Alabama offense shows up," an SEC coach said. "Is it the one that played against Auburn, or the one that played against Georgia the last time? It appears the quarterback's getting more and more comfortable, and they've got a talented running back."
A greater emphasis on the run game, behind an improving offensive line, also could make sense with Metchie out. But Williams, who had 184 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the SEC title game, will remain the focal point for Young and Alabama's offense.
"He's the best one in all of college football, and I don't know that it's close," an SEC coordinator said. "He's [incredibly] fast. He's that good. He's special."
The Tide defense also has been an evolution, struggling against teams such as Florida, Texas A&M and Arkansas, and, at times, Tennessee. Alabama ranks 54th nationally in pass efficiency defense. But the unit made opportunistic plays against Georgia and delivered arguably its most complete effort against Cincinnati, surrendering only 218 yards and only four drives of longer than six yards.
Like Georgia, Alabama's strength on defense is up front with Anderson, who enters the title game with 17.5 sacks and 34.5 tackles for loss. Coaches say the Tide doesn't boast as much front-seven depth as Georgia -- "They only play the two linebackers," an SEC coordinator said, referring to inside backers Henry To'o To'o and Christian Harris -- but still can be effective.
Alabama sacked Bennett three times in the SEC title game, while limiting the Bulldogs to 3.6 yards per rush. An SEC coordinator thinks Alabama will target Georgia interior offensive lineman Warren Ericson.
"You're going to see Alabama try to force him to block one-on-one and take advantage of that matchup on passing downs and third-and-long, find ways to isolate him through formations and looks," the coach said. "He's the guy in that Georgia offensive line you want to go after a little bit."
Who will prevail on Monday night?
Georgia opened as a slight favorite over Alabama, despite the 17-point loss less than a month earlier.
SEC coaches aren't surprised. Most surveyed for this story think Georgia will come out on top.
"It's always hard to beat a team twice, and plus, they don't have Metchie, so that will be tough," an SEC head coach said.
"I like Georgia this next go-round," another SEC head coach said.
"They're going to make adjustments on offense and defense, and they'll be pissed off," an SEC assistant added of the Bulldogs.
Part of the optimism that surrounds Georgia stems from how the Bulldogs put together top-3 recruiting classes in 2018, 2019 and 2020.
"Alabama is not as talented on offense as they have been," an SEC coordinator said. "After we played Georgia, I'm like, 'If there's a better team in the country, I'd be shocked.' And obviously Bama got 'em. But I'd be shocked if they get 'em twice."
Other coaches agreed that Georgia's overall collection on offense, especially its depth at running back and tight end, provides an edge against Alabama. Georgia has three backs -- Zamir White, Cook and Kenny McIntosh -- who average more than five yards per carry, and seven players with 15 or more receptions, not counting 6-foot-7 tight end Darnell Washington, who some coaches think could have a bigger role in the title game.
Alabama has Young, though, and if the second-year quarterback replicates what he did the first time against Georgia, the Tide likely will be celebrating another title.
"The difference in this game is Bryce Young," an SEC coordinator said. "Georgia had some uncharacteristic busts in the last game and turned some guys loose and will clean some of that stuff up, and Alabama not having Metchie will be a factor. But Bryce can make plays the other guy [Bennett] can't."
Coaches expect a better and more refined game plan from Smart and his staff. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken had Michigan reeling from the start of the semifinal. Smart and defensive coordinator Dan Lanning -- the new Oregon coach -- are capable of adjusting the defensive approach.
"I can't see Georgia getting lit up on defense like that two games in a row," an SEC coach said. "Kirby will go back and make adjustments. I think Georgia's going to win. I've got a lot of confidence in Georgia in this game."
Still, Smart has never beaten Saban, whose only loss to a former assistant came earlier this year in the regular season (Texas A&M's Jimbo Fisher). While most coaches give Smart the personnel edge, the actual coaching advantage likely lies with Alabama.
"You can't bet against Nick, man," an SEC coordinator said. "The smart money's still always on Alabama."
ESPN's Chris Low contributed to this story.