5-0 Alabama and 5-0 Georgia will meet on Saturday night in Tuscaloosa seeking a major win for their College Football Playoff hopes. The loser won't fall much, but the winner will get a substantial boost and come pretty close to already punching their ticket to the playoff already, barring a substantial collapse.
For Alabama, the Crimson Tide seeks validation. Everyone expected Georgia to be here and to be a national title contender. Very few predicted Alabama to be in that group. Kalen DeBoer and his team flew under the radar throughout the offseason and entered the year ranked No. 13.
But the Tide has forced its way into the conversations. A 5-0 start that has included road wins over Kentucky and Mississippi State, along with two additional Power Four wins at home over Florida State and South Carolina, all of which have come by two touchdowns or more, has Alabama fans believing this team is a real contender.
Tonight will tell the tale. If Alabama can exorcize the demon of last year's SEC Championship Game and take down Georgia, it will be validation for all the work in the offseason to revamp the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.
It will also validate that Alabama is not just a playoff team but a team capable of winning the National Championship.
Betting odds for Alabama vs. Georgia
Odds courtesy of FanDuel as of 5am ET on Saturday.
Spread: Alabama -1.5
Over/Under: 51.5
Moneyline: Alabama -126/Georgia +105
Alabama vs. Georgia game predictions
This will be the biggest test of the year for either team, by a wide margin. Alabama is a little more battle-tested than Georgia, but under Kirby Smart, you can always bet that he'll have the Bulldogs ready to play regardless of the circumstances.
Alabama will need Keelon Russell to be the superstar QB we've seen the last few weeks. Georgia will try to confuse him, and probably will at times, but he'll have to overcome and come up with some big plays. As improved as the Tide's ground game has been through the first five weeks, it's still going to be difficult to run the football on Georgia's front.
Alabama's defense has been a forced turnover machine, coming up with four last week in the win in Starkville. In a game with tight margins, whichever team wins the turnover battle will likely be the one that comes out on top.
This is a toss-up, but you know we're rolling with the Tide.
Picks:
John Mitchell: Alabama 34, Georgia 30
Ron Evans: Alabama 31, Georgia 27
Trevion Ware: Alabama 28, Georgia 27
Jaleel Grandberry: Alabama 35, Mississippi State 24
Dominic Giacobazzi: Alabama 42, Georgia 38
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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