The big day is here

A totally true tale-of-the-tape picks Georgia-Alabama winner

Tonight, it’s Alabama vs. Georgia for all the pigskin-covered marbles.

And when it comes to pre-picking the winner of the College Football Playoff National Championship Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, “informed” opinions are about as plentiful as wings at a pregame tailgate. From Vegas oddsmakers and ESPN-y experts to your grandma and the guy who cuts your lawn, everyone claims to have the inside scoop on the outcome.

Pay no attention to them. Here at the AJC, we’ve dug deep into the stats, studied the depth charts and factored in some key on- and off-the-field “intangibles.” The result is a tale-of-the-tape comparison of UGA and the University of Alabama that points to a winner you can totally take to the bank. Or the end zone, or … well, never mind, just know we’re right about this.

After all, if you can’t trust the Atlanta media, heh, heh …

Location

UGA: Athens, population approximately 115,000. Named for the city in ancient Greece that was the birthplace of democracy and a center of the arts and learning. Home to the Georgia Museum of Art, the State Botanical Garden and music superstars R.E.M. and the B-52s.

Alabama: Tuscaloosa, population approximately 99,000. Named for Tuskaloosa, chieftain of the Muskogean people who were defeated by Spanish forces in 1540. Home to a museum named for former Alabama coach Paul W. “Bear” Bryant and Coleman Coliseum, which has hosted WCW wrestling.

Winner: Please. Whose name literally sounds like “loser”? UGA, all the way.

Coaches

UGA: Kirby Smart, 42, was born in Alabama, but grew up in Bainbridge and went to UGA. He played defense for the Dawgs, then married into local royalty: Wife Mary Beth was Miss Georgia Basketball in 1999.

Alabama: Nick Saban, 66, was born in West Virginia, played football at Kent State, then coached at 10 different places before winning his first of five (so far) national championships, at LSU, in 2003. Next stop: the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, where he announced “I’m not going to be the Alabama coach.”

AT&T Playoff Playlist Live concerts

Features Kendrick Lamar during halftime show; Darius Rucker headlines pregame show along with Brett Young as the opening act. Gates open at noon; pregame show starts at 7:30 p.m. today. The game will be shown on a three-storytall video screen in the park. Free. Centennial Olympic Park, 265 Park Ave. W. NW, Atlanta.

SEAN M. HAFFEY / GETTY IMAGES The 2018 College Football Playoff Semifinal Game between the Oklahoma Sooners and Georgia Bulldogs at the Rose Bowl Game in Pasadena, Calif., resulted in a UGA win.

HYOSUB SHIN / HSHIN@AJC.COM Uga X is greeted by fans at Sanford Stadium in 2016.

CURTIS COMPTON / CCOMPTON@AJC.COM The 41.5-foot-tall statue of a falcon, hailed as the largest bird sculpture in the world, created by Gabor Miklos Szoke, greets fans arriving at the front porch area of MercedesBenz Stadium.