What’s harder than winning a championship in sports? Winning two in a row.
That’s what both the Atlanta Braves and Georgia Bulldogs are hoping to accomplish this season with the Braves' regular season nearing its end while the Dawgs got theirs underway Saturday with a drubbing of Oregon at Mercedes Benz Stadium. Now that we’ve seen both in action, Abe-T-L host, Abe Gordon examined which squad has the better chance to hoist a trophy at the end of their respective campaign.
Breaking the conversation down into four questions, Gordon started with the simple question of which of the two is the best team in its sport. While it may be a limited sample size, he gave UGA the nod while saying that the Braves face stiff competition from the Mets in their own division, the Dodgers and several other teams in baseball.
In terms of which playoff path is easier to navigate, the Bulldogs once again have the edge. Gordon noted that the MLB postseason is much more unpredictable than the mostly-chalk College Football Playoff where the top team always seems to come out on top. Using the 2021 Braves as an example, he noted that being the best team in baseball doesn’t always result in a World Series title. Additionally, he pointed to the fact that there hasn’t been a repeat champion in baseball since the Yankees in the late 90s.
The next factor in the discussion goes in favor of the Braves as Georgia is just out of the starting block and may have to deal with unforeseen injuries and other unknowns on their schedule. The Braves, hopefully, have gotten through their lulls and injuries with Ozzie Albies on his way back and Ronald Acuna in the lineup on a consistent basis, not to mention the unexpected contributions they’ve gotten from Spencer Strider, Michael Harris and Vaughn Grissom this season.
The final component in the conversation left Gordon undecided, wondering which team will be able to handle the pressure of being in a position to repeat. It’s a good problem to have, but Braves fans and Georgia fans will certainly be on the edge of their seat when title time rolls around once again.