Georgia beats Alabama to win first national championship in 41 years

The Georgia Bulldogs are college football national champions for the first time since the 1980 season after defeating the Alabama Crimson Tide, 33-18, in the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday.

Thirty-seven days ago, Alabama beat Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, 41-24, to secure the top seed in the College Football Playoff. The rematch was a defensive affair for most of the game before the offenses sprung to life late. With two minutes left in the third quarter, the Crimson Tide led 9-6 and neither team had scored a touchdown.

With fewer than nine minutes left in the game, Alabama held a 18-13 lead, but the Bulldogs found the end zone three times in the fourth quarter to pull away. The dagger was a 79-yard interception return for a touchdown in the final minute of the game that ended the Crimson Tide's attempt at a game-tying drive and extended Georgia's lead to 15.