Tyler Booker remembered.
When former ESPN analyst David Pollack crowned Georgia as the new kings of college football in the face of Alabama head coach Nick Saban, his star offensive lineman never forgot.
“They’ve taken ahold of college football,” Pollack said at halftime during last season’s National Championship game in January as Georgia led TCU 38-7, subsequently winning 65-7.
Saban, who was on set as a guest analyst, remained quiet.
“[Pollack] was on the podium last year with coach Saban talking about how Georgia is the new standard, Georgia is the new dynasty,” Booker recalled following No. 8 Alabama’s 27-24 SEC Championship win over No. 1 Georgia on Saturday night, according to USA Today.
“That really sat with me because I came to Alabama for the standard,” Booker continued. “I came to Alabama to further the dynasty. To hear somebody challenge my coach to his face like that? I take that personally. I feel like everybody who saw it did, and then we responded to that.”
The Crimson Tide snuck their way into the College Football Playoff as the No. 4 seedwith Saturday’s win over Georgia, which finished No. 6 after suffering their first loss of the season and is coming off back-to-back national championships.
Alabama will face No. 1 Michigan.
Meanwhile, Texas got in as the No. 3 seed and undefeated ACC champion Florida State was kept out of the playoff, finishing at No. 5.
“There would be no Georgia without Alabama,” Booker added. “We are the standard, and we proved that today. We might have had a slow two years, but the standard is here.”
Asked in a YouTube video posted by The Next Round whether or not Alabama should be in the College Football Playoff, Booker emphatically said “of course.”
He continued, “We beat the No. 1, why not?! We forced their hand today. They gotta put is in.”
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