Georgia fan: ‘tell me we have a chance? ... please?

Got a Facebook message Saturday from a friend with a desperate plea. No, she’s not stranded in Argentina and needs money for air fare.

Her request was simple, and I think not so uncommon right now. See, she’s a Georgia fan and just wants some hope against New Engla … I mean, Alabama.

“Tell me we have a chance? … A GOOD chance? … Please?”

OK, so maybe not so simple.

It’s not that Georgia fans lack faith in their Bulldogs. It’s just that, well, 37 years is a long time between national championships. It came in the final days of Jimmy Carter’s presidency. Alabama has won five national titles since then.

More than that, it’s hard forget the last time Georgia came close to winning the national championship. It was five years ago, but that seems like a lifetime ago. And it was just a few hundred yards away from the Mercedes-Benz Dome in Atlanta in the Georgia Dome. Georgia’s Chris Conley caught a tipped pass from Aaron Murray. Time slipped away, and along with it the best opportunity Mark Richt’s Bulldogs would ever have to dethrone Alabama.

And that beatdown Alabama put on Georgia in the rain two years ago is impossible for Georgia fans to unsee.

But herein lies the hope for the Bulldogs. Things are different now. Georgia’s different, and so is Alabama.

Here are four reasons why Georgia can beat Alabama:

▪  Senior leadership: Sony Michel and Nick Chubb are the best one-two running back punch at least since Bo Jackson and Brent Fullwood at Auburn, and maybe the best ever.

Lorenzo Carter and Davin Bellamy are bookend outside linebackers who will play for a long time in the NFL.

Dominic Sanders is a playmaker at safety.

Jeb Blazevich, who came into college as a receiving tight end, has selflessly developed into a gritty blocker.

And Isaiah Wynn has filled a huge void at left tackle.

The leadership of these seniors has been invaluable.

▪  No ordinary freshman: What Jake Fromm has done this season as a true freshman has been storybook stuff. He won the respect of his teammates in spring practice and summer workouts, then got his chance when Jacob Eason suffered a sprained knee in the season opener.

Fromm has elevated everyone around him. In many ways, Fromm outplayed Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield in the Rose Bowl.

▪  The Specs Factor: A year ago, Rodrigo Blankenship was behind William Ham at placekicker. He struggled with his kickoffs. After beating out Ham last season and working with Kevin Butler in the offseason, the kid with the Rec Specs is more than just a cult hero among the students. He’s a valuable weapon, whether it’s booming kickoffs to the back of the end zone or drilling field goals.

▪  Alabama isn’t dominant: Granted, the Crimson Tide looked dominant against Clemson in the Sugar Bowl. But injuries and attrition have depleted Alabama on defense. Bama still has the best defense Georgia will have faced all season. But it’s not the defense that we’re accustomed to seeing.

Bama’s offense is an enigma. The Tide is deep at running back and has strong offensive line. But the coaching staff doesn’t seem to know what they want to be on offense. They don’t trust quarterback Jalen Hurts to beat teams with his arm.

There’s your hope, Georgia fans. That’s why the Bulldogs have a chance.

Does that mean I’m picking Georgia to beat Alabama? Let’s not go quite that far. I’m not crazy.

This story was originally published January 6, 2018 at 5:53 PM with the headline "Georgia fan: ‘tell me we have a chance? ... please?."