Assuming Alabama Football doesn’t need any surprises to win its first three games, Georgia may be preparing for new DeBoer and Wommack wrinkles.
Months before one of Alabama Football’s most important games in Tuscaloosa, pundits agree that the Georgia Bulldogs are the favorites. There are reasons to assume that September will be too early in the Kalen DeBoer era for the Alabama Crimson Tide to defeat a prominent national title contender. The Bulldogs will be extremely good again, and Georgia supporters have reasonable expectations that the Dawgs will be a better team than last season.
A very different Alabama Crimson Tide will take the Bryant-Denny Field in the early evening of September 28. The new Tide will be very different from the Crimson Tide of Nick Saban’s first 17 seasons. Alabama only lost to Georgia twice during Nick Saban’s tenure, and one of those losses came in overtime while Saban was rebuilding Alabama in 2007. Despite Kirby Smart’s recent success, Georgia has lost eight of its previous nine games versus Alabama.
Alabama may have some undiscovered advantages in the September game. One of these advantages could be the determining factor in Alabama’s victory. Alabama’s new coaching staff will be well-versed in the Bulldogs’ offense and defense. The situation will be different for Georgia.
Georgia will, of course, have thoroughly examined Washington’s attack under Kalen DeBoer and South Alabama’s defense while Kane Wommack was head coach of the Jaguars. They will also look into the systems used at Fresno State and Indiana. The analysis will provide the Bulldogs with valuable information, but it will be incomplete.
DeBoer and Wommack will tailor their systems to the talent on the Alabama Crimson Tide squad. Much of the adaptation will remain identical, but it will have new nuances that can be beneficial given Alabama’s talent.
No new wrinkles will be deployed against Western Kentucky or South Florida. It’s possible they won’t be needed against Wisconsin. Early spread forecasts show the Crimson Tide leading the Badgers by eight points. The game is not a lock for Alabama, but the Tide can win by double digits without revealing too much to the Georgia Bulldogs.
Alabama vs. Georgia will be a tight game. It could come down to a few important plays that catch Georgia off guard and force a Crimson Tide adjustment never seen until Sept. 28 in Tuscaloosa.
