ATLANTA – Atlanta is a college football town pretending this week to care about the NFL. Luckily for the league, there are reasons for college football fans in Georgia to adopt this Super Bowl: Both teams feature lead Dawgs.
The Georgia Bulldogs matter more to Georgians than does any other team. If you needed proof, you should have visited Atlanta on Dec. 2 and 3 in 2017.
On Dec. 2, a Saturday, Georgia played Auburn in the SEC Championship Game. That matchup turned downtown Atlanta, not usually a hopping scene, into a scene from Caligula. Every car bore a college flag from one of the schools, with Georgia easily outnumbering Auburn. Everyone wore school colors. Every bar and restaurant was packed.
The next day, a good Vikings team faced a good Falcons team, and the city felt like an outdoor church service.
The Georgia Bulldogs rule Georgia sports, and Georgia running backs could rule the Super Bowl.
Todd Gurley starred at Georgia from 2012 to '14. The Rams made him the 10th pick in the 2015 draft.
For most of this season he was considered a possible Most Valuable Player, before a knee injury slowed him. He is the quintessential modern back, capable of leading a power rushing attack or beating a linebacker downfield on a pass pattern.
Sony Michel played at Georgia from 2014 to '17. The Patriots made him the 31st pick in the 2018 draft. He was the first back chosen by the Patriots in the first round since they chose Minnesota's Laurence Maroney in 2006. As a rookie, Michel played in only 13 games and started only eight, yet he rushed for 931 yards. He leads all postseason rushers with 242 rushing yards and five touchdowns.
"I remember when he first came in; he couldn't run and catch," Gurley said. "I had to teach him how to do all that stuff."
