This is what is so awesome about this matchup! It can be argued for days about who the better team is, and no one be wrong. Two great perennial powerhouses facing off for all the marbles. On the 10th anniversary of their last epic matchup, no less!
I remember that game in 2012 like it was yesterday. It was my first trip to the dome, hadn't made the trip the year before. Most of us in the stands were pretty high on our team to repeat and were kind of oblivious to the fact that it would even be a game. For pre-game the falcons came out in just warm-up shirts and helmets waste up, no pads or jerseys. I remember thinking and commenting on how small they looked and particularly plain size wise. We were really big that year on both fronts, and I thought we would dominate the LOS. It didn't take long after kickoff to realize we were going to have our hands full. They were excellent fundamentally and played together as a team. I think maybe we were down at halftime, and everyone was pretty worried. The seesaw battle continued into the second half until late in the fourth when Cedric Gartman was able to get two pick-sixes and secure the win. I don't think without that game we would have gone on to win 7 straight. They sure got our attention. I believe it fueled the teams the next few years to never underestimate an opponent, and take care of every manageable detail.
I haven't studied BO. I don't need to. I know they will be thoroughly prepared, extremely well coached, superbly conditioned, and have great athletes on both sides of the ball. But guess what? The same can be said for Lamar. Gosh dang this is gonna be a fun one!