Georgia is Thanos, Get out of the way
When Kirby Smart started rolling out the classes that he did, Georgia fans went from the ‘expecting-but-really-hoping’ type to ‘expecting’ type.
This season, with Alabama disappointing as much as they did, Georgia has become inevitable.
Inevitable teams in college football don’t sideswipe others out of the way. Remember Thanos had his struggles with The Avengers before eventually taking things over.
Georgia’s struggles weren’t with the best of ’em. They were plain bad against Kent State and even worse against Missouri, but came through those battles. And the war against Ohio State? The much-vaunted Bulldogs defense was shredded for most part of that game, but they came back. The missed field goal from Ohio State at the end of the game always felt that it would happen.
And now playing upstart TCU in the National Championship Game (-12.5), Thanos is back and growling forever.
Against Ohio State, Ryan Day had a month to think of a way to attack Georgia’s secondary, and they found it. They were helped by the fact that they had Goddamned Spiderman on their offense in Marvin Harrison Jr, who caught everything. They also ran the ball pretty well. CJ Stroud actually looked like a Top 5 Draft Pick – something that he had rarely done this season in Horseshoe Country. When he was knocked out by a nasty, nasty hit, the odds flipped to Thanos. Ohio State’s offense went from ‘good’ to ‘valiant’.
On Monday, Thanos faces the most valiant, unpredictable, fun team of 2022 in TCU. The Texas Christians faced deficits seemingly every week of the season, but came back to win. Against Mighty Michigan, it was the Horned Frogs who hopped ahead to big leads, only for their defense to revert to type. Their triumph wasn’t just a triumph for the Big 12 or Texas Football, it was a triumph for the unconsidered underdog, who were considered to be minor parts in the blockbuster known as Oklahoma, Texas, Baylor, and ‘Dark Horse for the Fashionable’ Kansas State.
Georgia will have loved the fact that TCU had to let all but the sweat off their unmentionables hang out against Michigan, as the situation went from comfortable to desperate. Maybe TCU would have loved the desperation that Georgia went to too to secure their exhausting semi-final victory, but Georgia was heavily favored. TCU had to pull the flea-flickers, trick plays and pick-sixes to over come the Ann Arbor Avengers.
The key Gemstones to Georgia’s iron fist are fairly simple. Stetson Bennett continues his ‘Revenge Tour’ (as much as you can do that when you’ve won a title already). Brock Bowers – the most dominant tight end in the country – is another. Jalen Carter a Top 5 future draft pick – is the Killer of Quarterbacks. Ladd McConkey is a sensation many wouldn’t have heard out outside of Athens and the local golfing country clubs is another. And then Kirby Smart – the puppeteer in charge – is basically Saban with a horrible visor.
There are question marks over whether one of their biggest stars – who is a key receiver/ blocker – Darnell Washington can play in the Natty. Kirby’s said that he’s hopeful.
I’m sure that there will be Avengers to try and stop the final National Championship Gemstone going to Athens for a second straight year.
In the Hardy Party will be Max Duggan, who swivels and swerves behind the line of scrimmage with the best of them. Some quarterbacks don’t like being flushed out of the pocket. He thrives on it. Some of the stuff he did this year have been heroic and bonkers at the same time. TCU also owns – for us – the best wide receiver in the country in Quentin Johnson. Move over Harrison and Jordan Addison, this 6ft-4 freak seemed to catch everything that was thrown to him, and any mistakes in coverage will be clobbered with speed and assurance. Georgia’s ‘hard and tight’ way of trying to deal with wide receivers will be challenged with a flag-happy refereeing group. E Kendre Miller, the Frogs’ hard-working and excellent running back – is in agony from a lower-back injury, but has been making progress. The defense is also good in coverage, with a 3-3-5 defensive stance that will mean that they will look to try and stop the big receiving play through the air. TCU’s defense has been mediocre-to-odious for much of the season, but it managed to pick itself up in the weeks prior to the Michigan game.
As another season reaches its conclusion in LA (friends who are going estimate that they will have to pay around $3,000 in flights, hotels, tickets and food when all is said and done (frankly, we pity the students more), a Georgia win feels so honestly inevitable.
You know, just like Thanos.
PREDICTION: Expect Georgia to recognise the quick play ability of the Horned Frogs and run the ball down TCU’s throat, going for 19 hour drives instead of the two-minute drill. TNational Championship won with comfort. Georgia 42, TCU 28.