Alabama was listed as a rare underdog in this year's SEC championship game, but to no one's surprise, the reigning national champions looked anything but that against the top-ranked team in the country this past weekend.
The Crimson Tide's long-established supremacy over conference rival Georgia continued on Saturday, as Heisman Trophy candidate Bryce Young threw for a whopping 421 yards and three touchdowns en route to a resounding 41-24 win in Atlanta. With the win, Alabama earned the top College Football Playoff spot, clinching a national semifinal matchup against No. 4 Cincinnati.
"Everybody would be shocked if Alabama lost to Cincinnati. Even saying that sounds dirty," JR said during the JR SportBrief show on Monday. "You can rest assured that Bama will likely be favored over Georgia or Michigan. This is like the same old song, a repeat with Alabama every damn year... Alabama is likely going to be sitting in that championship game on Jan. 10.
"John Metchie, the wide receiver, this young man tore his ACL. He won't be participating. Bryce Young is going to have to look for another receiver to step it up. Regardless of what you think about Alabama, you've got to favor them. You've got to favor Alabama all the way. My folks here in Georgia aren't happy, but this is business as usual. And Alabama is clearly on its way."
Georgia, which entered Saturday's game undefeated and with the country's top-ranked scoring defense (6.9 average points), was simply overwhelmed by Alabama's aerial attack. They allowed a season-high 24 points during the second quarter alone, and failed to recover from a stunning halftime deficit.
Young set an SEC title game record with 461 total yards of offense, and on Monday, the 20-year-old sophomore was officially named a Heisman finalist. Through 13 games this year, Young has completed 68-percent of his passes for 4,322 yards with 43 touchdowns and just four interceptions.
Alabama (12-1) and Cincinnati are scheduled to kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET on Dec. 31, in the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium. According to FiveThirtyEight, the Crimson Tide currently have a 71-percent chance to reach the national title game and a 36-percent chance to repeat as champions.
JR's complete thoughts on the College Football Playoff can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the JR SportBrief show on Twitter @JRSportBrief and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.