Georgia Football: Playing in Atlanta is not a curse, Georgia fans!
By Max Tolbert
Georgia football takes on Alabama for the SEC Championship. For Georgia fans, they are thrilled to have a match-up against Alabama. This is an opportunity to prove that the Dawgs are the better program and that the future of college football runs through Athens.
However, many Georgia fans are nervous. Georgia fans always think negatively about things, but there are many more than normal this week. It is all concerning that Georgia is playing Alabama in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Georgia, under Kirby Smart, has played Ten times in the Atlanta. This will be the 11th time the Dawgs have played in Atlanta since 2016. The Dawgs record in Atlanta is 6-4. Three of those losses have been at the hands of Alabama. The only other team to beat the Dawgs in Atlanta was the 2019 LSU team, one of the greatest teams ever.
So, for some reason, Georgia fans believe that Alabama and Nick Saban have some sort of magic when they step into the city limits of Atlanta. Look, Saban’s record in the SEC Championship is unbelievable. Saban has only lost one time in the SEC Championship with Alabama, and that was in 2008 against Florida.
Kirby Smart has not had that much success in Atlanta. If you took the 2022 season out of the picture, Georgia would have a losing record in Atlanta. But you cannot ignore what the Dawgs did in Atlanta in 2022. Mercedes-Benz Stadium became Sanford Stadium West in 2022.
The Dawgs played their opener against Oregon, the SEC Championship against LSU, and the Chick-fil-A Bowl against Ohio State. It became a home away from home for the Dawgs, and they won every single game.
That is why the 2022 season might be important for the success on Saturday against Alabama. Most of this team was there during that 2022 run, and they will feel right at home when the Dawgs take on Alabama. For Alabama, for some of its players, this is a new experience, and for others, this will only be the second time they have ever stepped foot on that field.
The bigger point is this: It does not matter where the game is played! What matters is who shows up and executes the most on Saturday. Alabama fans were confident going into the 2022 National Championship because Kirby Smart had never beaten Nick Saban. Guess what? Georgia beat them in the last 10 minutes of the game because they executed more than Alabama did.
So, for the Georgia fans worried about where the game is being played, don’t be. Worry about how Georgia will execute and how they can stop Jalen Milroe. Also, there is nothing to be afraid of. Georgia is the better team and is the best team in the country. So just relax!