Nick Saban will win 5th national title with Alabama

By Brent Musburger Special to the Review-Journal

7 years ago

Georgia running back Nick Chubb scores a touchdown past Oklahoma defensive back Steven Parker, right, during the second half of the Rose Bowl NCAA college football game Monday, Jan. 1, 2018, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Alabama head coach Nick Saban takes to the field with his team before the Sugar Bowl semi-final playoff game against Clemson for the NCAA college football national championship, in New Orleans, Monday, Jan. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Georgia running back Nick Chubb (27) gets past Oklahoma defensive back Will Johnson (12) to run for a touchdown late in the second half of the Rose Bowl NCAA college football game, Monday, Jan. 1, 2018, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Alabama head coach Nick Saban takes to the riser after defeating Clemson in the Sugar Bowl semi-final playoff game for the NCAA college football national championship, in New Orleans, Monday, Jan. 1, 2018. Alabama won 24-6 to advance to the national championship game. (AP Photo/Rusty Costanza)

Georgia running back Sony Michel (1) carries the ball to score a touchdown in overtime against Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl NCAA college football game, Monday, Jan. 1, 2018, in Pasadena, Calif. Georgia won 54-48. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart waits with his team to run onto the field before the Rose Bowl NCAA college football game against Oklahoma, Monday, Jan. 1, 2018, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

In this Jan. 1, 2018, file photo, Alabama head coach Nick Sabanlooks on before the Sugar Bowl semifinal playoff game for the NCAA college football national championship, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

The NFL awards the Lombardi Trophy to every Super Bowl champion. Someday college football will award the Saban Trophy to every national champion.

Saint Nick shoots for his fifth national championship with Alabama on Monday when the Crimson Tide meet Georgia. Las Vegas sports books think the Tide will win — a 4-point opening line could be bet to 4½ or higher by kickoff.

Georgia was electrifying against Oklahoma, but a brain-dead coaching decision by the Sooners at the end of the first half allowed the Dawgs to lift their heads on the way to the locker room. A 55-yard field goal cut a three-score deficit to 14 points, and the rest is history. Oklahoma, only attempt a squib kickoff after a touchdown when you’re certain you can kill the clock and not give an opponent great field position. A painful lesson learned.

Saint Nick won’t make a mistake like that Monday. And in Nevada, we’re betting on it.

Alabama is dealing with injury attrition at linebacker with Anfernee Jennings the latest to be sidelined following knee surgery. But no team in the country is as deep at that position as Alabama.

Georgia’s Nick Chubb and Sony Michel combined for 326 yards and five touchdowns on 25 carries against Oklahoma. It takes four games for Alabama to give up 326 yards rushing.

I have great respect for what Kirby Smart has accomplished in two seasons at Georgia. He learned how to put a program together as a Saban assistant. Oh, yes. Saban is 11-0 against his former assistant coaches. Make it 12-0.

Tide rolls, 30-17.

That game will cap a great weekend of football that my guys in the desert tell me will be the busiest one at the counter so far this season, even though the NFL offers a wild-card weekend without much star power.

Missing from the playoffs: Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks and Oakland Raiders.

Coming at you this weekend: Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans. They deserve credit for making the playoffs, but all three teams are seriously flawed.

If last year was any indication, this could be a blowout week in the NFL. The closest any underdog came to winning any of the wild-card games last season was 13 points.

Tennessee at Kansas City

Chiefs -8½; total 44½

The Chiefs are difficult to figure, because they really played three distinctly different seasons. First season: 5-0. Second season: 1-6. Third season: 4-0 — and by an average of 11.8 points per game.

Kansas City enjoys a significant advantage at quarterback. Alex Smith averaged 8.0 yards per attempt and threw 26 touchdown passes with only five interceptions. Marcus Mariota averaged almost a yard less per attempt for the Titans and threw 15 interceptions vs. 13 TD passes.

This one could get out of hand.

Atlanta at Los Angeles Rams

Rams -5½; total 48

The Falcons’ Matt Ryan didn’t have an MVP season, but he still threw for 7.7 yards per attempt and 20 touchdowns against 12 interceptions.

I don’t think the defending NFC champions will go quietly into the offseason. This is the game in which we might find value with the underdog.

Buffalo at Jacksonville

Jaguars -9 total 39½

The Bills are the feel-good story of the playoffs, getting there for the first time since the 1999 season and ending the longest active postseason drought in the four major sports. It would be nice if the Cinderella story could continue, but Buffalo needs LeSean McCoy at 100 percent, and that’s a big question mark with his injured right ankle.

Carolina at New Orleans

Saints -6½; total 48½

This is Round 3 between these two. The Saints won at Carolina 34-13 in Week 3 and 31-21 in Week 13.

If we knew which Cam Newton would show up, we might be inclined to grab the underdog, but he has been so inconsistent all season. He’s averaging 6.7 yards per throw and has 16 interceptions with 22 touchdown passes.

There’s no reason to doubt that the Saints will keep marching.

Brent Musburger’s betting column appears Saturday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. His show on the Vegas Stats & Information Network can be heard on SiriusXM 204 and livestreamed at reviewjournal.com/vegas-stats-information-network.