Alabama football already has a 'dogfight' on its mind with Georgia up next

Nearly every week in the SEC is a dogfight, but some dogfights are tougher than others.  Alabama vs. Georgia is one of those.

For the ninth time in the past ten years, Alabama-Georgia is happening. The Crimson have won seven of the previous eight contests, including games at Sanford Stadium in 2008 and 2015.  But with one game already in the loss column, their players know their margin of error is slim. That's why they are preparing for the battle of battles.

"It's gonna be a dogfight," safety Bray Hubbard said. "We've got to go over there and play disciplined, and play sound. Everybody's got to do their 1/11th. Bring the physicality like we did today and like we did last week."

Tide ready to take back the narrative

The past two weeks have shifted the narrative for the Crimson Tide after a 31-17 loss to Florida State in the season opener. Alabama has outscored its opponents 111-14 in that stretch. They have become a more physical team and that has made Ty Simpson one of the most efficient and effective quarterbacks in the country.

"We have a really, really good football team," Simpson said. "Our defense is really playing  well. The offense is really clicking on a bunch of different notes. I think nothing really changes. We just got to go understand, hey, it's on the road. We just got to go do what we do and just understand and be intentional about everything."

We expected Alabama-Georgia to be a big game and a crucial game in determining the order of strength in the SEC. But with the loss already on the record, this feels like a must-win game for Alabama to remain in the playoff hunt. And the Bulldogs haven't beaten the Crimson Tide at home since 2003, so there is a psychological aspect to this game as well.

It has all the makings of a dogfight.