Even in the midst of a bye week, it's hard not to look ahead at next week's pivotal showdown in Athens. Alabama will face Georgia in a game that the Crimson Tide really needs to steal, or September will end, and all of its margin for error will already be used up.
Had Alabama handled its business in the season opener against Florida State, the forthcoming matchup with the Bulldogs would be little more than a measuring stick contest and a potential leg up in the SEC Championship race.
But it's massive for the Crimson Tide because of the loss to FSU. A win, and all is already forgiven for the lifeless performance in Tallahassee. Lose, and Alabama is 2-2 and might need to win out to guarantee its place in the College Football Playoff.
When Alabama travels to Sanford Stadium next weekend, they'll find themselves in a familiar position against Georgia: as underdogs.
For the fifth consecutive meeting between the two programs, Georgia is the betting favorite, according to FanDuel.
FanDuel lists Georgia as a 3.5 point favorite over Alabama
The good news for Alabama is that, despite consistently being the underdog against Georgia, they've won four of those five meetings outright. Georgia was a small favorite for last season's matchup in Tuscaloosa in a game Alabama ultimately won 41-34.
The Bulldogs were favored by nearly a touchdown in the 2023 SEC Championship Game in a matchup that the Crimson Tide pulled out 27-24.
At just 3.5 points for this year's matchup - at least early on - oddsmakers clearly view this game as a toss-up. Home-field advantage is usually good for three points, so Vegas is telling us that on a neutral field, these teams are practically even.
Georgia is coming off an emotional, come-from-behind road win over Tennessee. That game exposed some flaws for Kirby Smart to figure out, but it also showed the championship resolve of his program. It's that kind of resolve that Kalen DeBoer is still hoping his team finds.
At some point - or perhaps consistently - Alabama will face adversity next week in Athens. They're going to get punched in the mouth. How they respond from there will determine how the game goes.
Under DeBoer, Alabama is now 2-4 in true road games. The two wins - Wisconsin and LSU last year - were both blowouts where the Tide didn't have to deal with adverse circumstances. When they have, they've consistently folded.
It feels like Alabama has taken a big step forward over the last two weeks. We'll find out for sure next week in Athens.