Kirby Smart will finally get a wish fulfilled next fall. Smart will get a game against Alabama Football in Athens. The last time Alabama played Georgia in Athens, Smart was working on Nick Saban's staff. Despite winning two national championships, the Alabama Crimson Tide has been a major impediment to Smart's success. He is 1-6 against Alabama as a head coach.
Many Georgia fans are expecting a reversal next September. A payback win from the loss in Tuscaloosa last season and some proof that Smart is not snakebit against the Alabama Crimson Tide.
According to ESPN, the Georgia game is not the most important one on Alabama's regular season schedule next season. ESPN claims the Tide's most important game will be when the Tennessee Vols come to Tuscaloosa.
Alabama Football and ending Georgia's home winning streak
The Bulldogs have the longest home winning streak among FBS teams at 31 wins. They should be looking to make it 34 straight when Kalen DeBoer's Alabama Crimson Tide comes calling.
ESPN's Mark Schlabach calls the Bama vs. Dawgs game a "season-defining game" for Georgia and Kirby Smart. In a summary that is tepid for a defining game, Schlabach wrote "... no Saturday figures to be as important as Georgia's Sept. 27 game against Alabama at Sanford Stadium ... Another loss to the Tide wouldn't knock the Bulldogs out of the SEC title game or the CFP, as we saw last season, but it would put them in an early hole."
It is expected that oddsmakers will have the Bulldogs as a solid favorite in the game. Alabama might have one important advantage over the Bulldogs. ESPN's Bill Connelly has calculated returning production for all FBS teams in the 2025 season. The Crimson Tide has the sixth-highest returning production among SEC teams. Georgia is behind every SEC team but two in returning production ranked. The Bulldogs and the Texas Longhorns are tied at No. 14 among SEC teams. Only Ole Miss returns less than the Bulldogs and the Longhorns.
Connelly's data details are for subscribers only, and cannot be linked here. However, Alabama Football is above the SEC average and the Georgia Bulldogs are well below the average. The difference could produce an Alabama win in a close September game.
In the 74 game history between the teams, Alabama holds an edge of 15-11 for games played in Athens. The Crimson Tide has not lost in Sanford Stadium since 2003.
Note: Alabama and Georgia game history provided by mcubed.net