The National Championship Game: Dawgs and Tide deliver Danny Kanell a classic

Monday night in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Georgia and Alabama played the 2017 National Championship Game. There will never be another National Championship game as great, and Danny Kannell is miserable.

On Monday, January 8, 2018 at 8:17 PM Eastern Time, Alabama kicked off to Georgia in the National Championship Game. At 8:18 Danny Kanell’s head exploded.

Strength of schedule

On the day of Kanell’s infamous tweets, Oklahoma ranked number three, Clemson five, Georgia  six,  and Alabama ten  in strength of schedule. No other one-loss team ranked higher.

The SEC’s Auburn ranked number one, but had three losses.

Regular season

The only two-loss teams that ranked in the  strength of schedule top ten were the Penn State team that lost to 10 – 3  Notre Dame by 20 points and the Ohio State team that lost by 30 points to the 7 – 5 Iowa team that scored 10 in a loss to Northwestern and scored 15 in a loss to  Purdue.

Rigged

The notorious SEC hater claimed the two Deep South rivals appearance in the National Championship Football Game was the result of a rigged system.

The “rigged system” kept elites Ohio State, Notre Dame and Southern Cal out of the playoffs.

About the so called farcical match up between Georgia and Alabama being terrible for college football? The 2017 College Football Championship was the second most watched cable telecast ever.

In the words of the prophet, “Thank you, Sir. May I have another.”

The SEC delivers a classic

Having been taunted by Danny Kanell, the Southeastern Conference’s two best teams, the two best teams in the country, delivered the greatest football game the National Championship Game will ever see.

High Drama in the National Championship Game

With the President watching, Alabama head coach Nick Saban made the most desperate of decisions. He replaced starting quarterback Jalen Hurts at halftime with freshman Tua Tagovailoa.

Trailing 13 – 0, desperation was the logical Alabama response. Tagovailoa and the Tide responded with 20 points in the second half. Included was a fourth down pass with under four minutes to play in regulation for a touchdown, which combined with the ensuing extra-point, sent the game into overtime.

The drive included a near interception that came so close to securing the Georgia win, it will eternally remain on the lips of the Bulldog Nation.

The National Championship Game swung spectacularly on each team’s response to back-breaking third quarter plays. The first an Alabama touchdown, the second an Alabama turnover.

Bulldog response

Alabama’s defense stopped Georgia to start the third quarter and claim control of the line for scrimmage. Tagovailoa then put Georgia’s defense on its heels, and Alabama drove for a touchdown.

With the Tide clearly in control of the game and now down by only six points, on the next play for scrimmage Jake Fromm hit Mecole Hardman on an 80 yard touchdown bomb to retake control of the game.

Alabama response

Later in the third quarter, Georgia’s Deandre Baker intercepted a bad decision throw from Tagovailoa, and the Dawgs had the ball at the Alabama 39 yard line. With the Georgia leading 20 – 10 and in command defensively, the Bulldogs were less than a first down from a Rodrigo Blankenship field goal that would likely end the Alabama comeback.

This is terrible for college football – Danny Kanell

On the next play, Jake Fromm attempts a short pass to Sony Michel. The ball hits Da’ Shawn Hand’s helmet, bounces high into the air and is  grabbed by Raekwon Davis. Davis returns the ball to the Georgia 40-yard line. Alabama only picks up one first down, but it is enough to get the Tide and 41-yard field goal. The six-point swing is enough to eventually put the game in overtime.

Overtime

One swing of fate after another led the game to the overtime period, where the highs and lows crunched together into the emotional explosion that ended the game.

Ineffective with the ball to start the overtime, the Bulldogs asked Blankenship to deliver on a 51 yard field goal to keep Georgia’s hopes alive. The Bulldog defense then sacked Tagovailoa at the 41 yard line on first down, and the Dawg faithful felt the game was in hand. On second down, Tagovailoa threw a 41 yard touchdown pass to fellow freshman Devonta Smith for the Alabama game winner.

There will never be a greater National Championship game, and that means, probably, never a greater football game.

Next: Georgia's big red recruiting machine

But Danny Kannell can claim vindication. In the end, the conference champion couldn’t stop Alabama.