As I arrived in Athens, Georgia, last weekend to see old friends and experience one of the best gamedays in the nation, I could not avoid the welcome and hospitality that I received. Of course, Georgia was not playing Alabama, but it further solidified an SEC theory of mine. Alabama and Georgia are by far the closest friends in the conference. Every Georgia fan I met resounded that theory, and many of my fellow Tide fans have also stated their appreciation of Georgia. Georgia can best be compared to that competitive friend that everyone loves to beat themselves but no one loves to see beaten by others.
A number of reasons have grown and strengthened this relationship over the years. We have a mutual respect for the other’s program, history, and coaches. We have a mutual disdain for programs such as Auburn, Tennessee, and Florida. However, we have shared vastly different paths through the SEC over the past five years. No matter the amount of respect and camaraderie we share with the Bulldogs, it is extremely evident the impact we have had on each other.
The date was September 27, 2008. The game was between eighth ranked Alabama and third ranked Georgia. Athens was home that weekend to College Gameday, a blackout, and the most hyped SEC game in both team’s recent history. As Alabama fans, we are quite aware of the outcome. Alabama raced ahead to a 31-point halftime lead – stifling one of football’s most hostile environments – and held on to a 40-31 victory.
Thoughts of a national championship were then discussed; images of Julio Jones’ catch over Bryan Edwards were soon framed; the Tide had returned. In the last ten years, few games have been as monumental as that win against Georgia. Honestly, I believe it to be the biggest win in that span, greater than Florida in ’05, LSU in ’08, or Florida again in ’09. It was the Nascar-left turn into the final lap of Alabama’s recovery program, and the blown tire to Georgia’s quest for greatness.
Alabama had been through a mediocre 7-6 season with Nick Saban at the helms. Hype slowly built after a 6-2 start, but sank quickly when the Tide lost all four games in their November schedule, including an embarrassing loss to Louisiana-Monroe. The next year was the most questionable year in Alabama history. After a win in the opener against ninth-ranked Clemson, it was hard to keep the Alabama fan base from thinking anything other than national championship. The Georgia game fostered that belief and the mentality for the future of Alabama.
Since that fateful Georgia game, Alabama has been 33-5. All five of Alabama’s losses have been to school’s ranked inside the top fifteen. On the other hand, Georgia has been 20-16 since that defeat. Of those sixteen losses, five have been to unranked teams. The record is a far cry from the dominant Georgia team of the early and mid 00s.
Now, as Alabama walks amongst the elite of the SEC and the nation, Georgia is in a constant struggle to regain power within the anarchy that is the SEC East. ‘Hot Seat’ does not adequately describe the rising temperature under Mark Richt’s backside, and this season looks dismal for the Georgia Bulldogs. As an Alabama fan originally from south Alabama, I feel for the Bulldogs. Their loyal fans remind me of the loyalty that the Alabama fan base showed through the early 2000s, and their team boasts as many close losses as the Tide had during that period.
I believe that the Bulldogs still have a chance within the wide-open SEC East, and I hope that Alabama will play their old friend in the SEC Championship game – since they impacted our turnaround, maybe they can impact our jinx of only playing Florida in the SEC Championship game. My only request is that we cheer on our friends with a ‘Go Dawgs’ throughout the rest of their schedule. Given the opportunity that we play them in the SEC championship, respect them as our friends, but give them the hell that a good friend deserves.
