Sports
Trump Plans To Attend College Football Championship: Report
President Trump is expected to attend the college football championship game with first lady Melania on Jan. 8 in Atlanta.
ATLANTA, GA — President Donald Trump plans to attend the college football national championship game in Georgia on Monday, according to a report by Greg Bluestein of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The game between Georgia and Alabama will kick off at 8 p.m. on Monday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Trump is expected to attend with first lady Melania Trump and Nick Ayers, a native Georgian who serves as Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, according to the report.
The report notes this will be Trump’s second visit to Georgia since being elected president. He previously visited in April, when he headlined the National Rifle Association’s convention in Atlanta.
A spokesperson for the Atlanta Police Department told the Journal-Constitution that it is working with the Secret Service to increase security for the game.
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On Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said at the daily press briefing that Georgia and Alabama are “two great football teams in the greatest conference in the country."
SEE ALSO: Georgia Vs Alabama: National Championship Tickets Aren't Cheap
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The matchup will mark the first time in the short history of college football's playoff that two teams from the same conference will meet in the title game. The last time it happened under the Bowl Championship was also an all-SEC tilt, between Alabama and LSU in 2011.
Georgia (13-1) will compete for its first National Championship since 1980 after defeating Oklahoma 54-48 in a wild and historic Rose Bowlon Monday. The Bulldogs set a Rose Bowl record by overcoming a 31-14 first half deficit to win in double-overtime — marking the first overtime periods in Rose Bowl history.
Alabama (12-1), meanwhile, heads into the game having soundly defeated No. 1 Clemson, 24-6, in the Sugar Bowl.
Monday's game will be the second championship game of the season for Georgia at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. They defeated Auburn 28-7 in the SEC Championship on Dec. 2.
Photo credit: Evan Vucci/Associated Press
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