With both the Georgia Bulldogs and the Alabama Crimson Tide being on byes this week, it only adds to the anticipation of what is coming down the track in two weeks' time. Georgia will host Alabama Between the Hedges on Sept. 27 for early-season SEC supremacy. The winner of this game will be giving off the vibes of a team capable of winning the SEC and making the College Football Playoff.
While the loser could still conceivably get to Atlanta and make the 12-team playoff, they will have to pick up the pieces. More importantly, two impressive runs of dominance will be colliding with one another in this huge SEC game. Georgia has won 32 games in a row at home. The Dawgs have not fallen at home since before COVID to South Carolina back in 2019. This is the best mark in all of FBS.
As for Alabama, the Crimson Tide have dominated the Dawgs over the last two decades. While they do not play each other annually, Alabama has won nine of the last 10 over Georgia, including the last two. The only time Georgia has beaten Alabama since 2007 was during a neutral-site affair up in Indianapolis for the 2021 National Championship. Georgia also lost a national championship in 2017...
It should be noted that Alabama only came to Athens twice during the Nick Saban era, but won both.
Who is expected to win between Alabama and Georgia in two weeks?
ESPNBet has Georgia listed as a four-point home favorite over visiting Alabama. ESPN's matchup predictor gives Georgia a 55-percent chance to hand Alabama is second loss of the season. Conversely, Alabama has a 45-percent chance to hand Georgia its first of the campaign. Last year's game went down to the wire in Tuscaloosa with the Crimson Tide winning an absolute barn-burner.
With nearly two weeks left to ponder over everything heading into this one, it would be a real shame if Georgia were to lose this one at home to Alabama. The Crimson Tide have been the Dawgs' perpetual nemesis for the better part of two decades now. However, Kalen DeBoer is not his predecessor. He is a great head coach in his own right, but he is not the legend that Saban was. Kirby Smart knows this.
Should Georgia do a better job of protecting Gunner Stockton and not look like a complete shell of itself in the secondary like it did vs. Tennessee, the Dawgs have a chance to win this one, possibly by multiple scores. If they play like they did for the better part of the Tennessee game, that may not be enough to keep the Crimson Tide at bay. This team has one loss on the year already. It is dangerous.
Simply put, Georgia needs to exercise its home-field advantage to knock the Crimson Tide out of it.