In 2024 and 2025, several earthquakes occurred in the Atlanta Metro area. Though small in magnitude, some of them, including one in Athens, TN, have been felt in Athens, GA. If the Alabama Crimson Tide beats Georgia on Saturday night, the collective shuddering of Georgia fans could exceed the previous quakes on the seismic scale. Georgia Bulldogs' fans appear to be completely unprepared for what could be an Alabama upset.
After considering statements from a couple of unbiased pundits, I realize I have been wrong in my thinking about the game. My perspective had been that a loss for Georgia would not be close to as bad as a loss would be for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Georgia could bounce back in championship fashion, while Alabama would have its Playoff hopes severely dimmed. Former Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray is the one who changed my mind.
Talking with Greg McElroy, Murray said that Georgia still has an Alabama problem. Reporting on the conversation by the Georgia SI site used the phrase "Alabama haunting Georgia again." Murray was blunt about Georgia's situation going into the big game, "... there is an Alabama problem. There’s still an Alabama problem. There’s 100% an Alabama problem."
Murray contends that Georgia beating the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2021 National Championship Game was not enough for Georgia to escape its Alabama problem. Is it possible that despite back-to-back National Championships, Georgia's Kirby Smart era is still severely tainted by failures against Alabama, including those as far back as the pre-Smart seasons? Only Georgia fans can answer the question. What should alarm the Georgia fans is that Murray added he is less confident the Bulldogs will win in Athens than he was when Georgia travelled to Tuscaloosa last season.
Another former SEC football player, the SEC Network's Jordan Harper, made a recent prediction that Crimson Tide fans love. On ESPN, Harper said, " Well, buckle up, because it’s going to be… ‘Bama is back!" In further conversation, Harper added some 'ifs' to his enthusiasm about the Crimson Tide.
When the Alabama Crimson Tide's and Georgia Bulldogs' Histories Collide
It is easier to find predictions favoring the Georgia Bulldogs. After all, no Georgia team has lost in Sanford Stadium since October 2019. Had the Bulldogs prevailed in that double-overtime loss to South Carolina, the current streak of Sanford Stadium wins would go back to the end of the 2016 regular season.
If Aaron Murray is correct, two teams, each with a monkey on their backs, could produce an earth-rattling game on Saturday night.