Georgia vs. Alabama: 2022 CFP National Championship Odds, Predictions and More

The College Football Playoff has reached its final stage. The opening round took place Friday, with SEC rivals Alabama and Georgia advancing.

This marks the Crimson Tide's sixth trip to the title game in seven years, and Alabama is chasing its fourth title in eight years of the CFP's existence—and its second consecutive. Nick Saban's squad has never missed the four-team playoff.

This is only Georgia's second trip to the CFP and its first appearance in the title game. However, the Bulldogs know Alabama well and have a very legitimate chance to knock the Tide off the proverbial mountain top.

Here, you'll find a look at the latest odds, buzz and predictions surrounding the 2022 CFP National Championship Game.

The opening round of the College Football Playoff featured a pair of great storylines. The Michigan Wolverines made their first trip to the final four and won their first Big Ten Championship since 2004. Jim Harbaugh was hired as head coach back in 2015, and he was tasked with bringing the Wolverines back to respectability.

This season, Harbaugh largely accomplished that.

The Cincinnati Bearcats, meanwhile, became the first non-Power Five conference school to make the playoff, aside from Notre Dame. This was the first true Cinderella story since the CFP was instituted in 2014.

Cincinnati surged past schools like Notre Dame and Ohio State thanks to an undefeated season.

While Cincinnati and Michigan made for good storylines, Alabama and Georgia proved to be the better teams. The Bulldogs thumped Michigan 34-11 in the Orange Bowl, while the Tide routed Cincinnati 27-6 in the Cotton Bowl.

"Fake undefeateds do not belong in College Football," former Alabama and current Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey tweeted Friday night.

While Georgia and Alabama made short work of their initial CFP opponents, we shouldn't pretend that they played unworthy foes. The Bearcats beat ranked opponents in Notre Dame and Houston, while the Wolverines bested ranked Ohio State and Iowa.

The reality is that Alabama and Georgia are simply that much better, meaning next Monday's showdown will truly represent the best that college football has to offer.

Who: Georgia vs. Alabama

When: Monday, January 10

Time: 8 p.m. ET

Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis

TV and Live Stream: ESPN and the ESPN App

Line: Georgia -3

Could the Crimson Tide repeat as CFP champions? It's entirely possible, but to do it, Alabama will have to get past Georgia. Again.

These two faced off in the SEC title game roughly a month ago. Alabama won that game 41-24 by punching holes in a Georgia defense that had been tremendous to that point. During the regular season, Georgia allowed only 10 offensive touchdowns and allowed no more than 17 points in a game.

But Georgia's ability to lean on its defense left the offense lacking. Stetson Bennett is a capable quarterback and he has weapons like Zamir White and Brock Bowers at his disposal, but Georgia never really had the need for a prolific offensive attack.

Then came Alabama. Led by eventual Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young, the Crimson Tide found ways to exploit the Georgia defense and forced Bennett into a high-pressure situation. Bennett completed just 29 of 48 attempts and tossed a pair of critical interceptions as the Tide rolled.

However, the Bulldogs found their offense against a very good Michigan defense, and Bennett was a star. He threw for 310 yards and three touchdowns while completing 67.7 percent of his passes.

That performance might be what the Bulldogs needed to find their offensive rhythm, and it's highly unlikely that the defense will be caught off guard by Alabama a second time. Expect a much closer and balanced game in the rematch.

It's hard to knock off a conference opponent twice in the same season, and I don't believe that Alabama will get it done this year. I won't be shocked if the game goes into overtime or if the Crimson Tide cover a remarkably small spread. However, I'd expect Georgia to get a little revenge en route to its first national championship since 1980.

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

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