Alabama Football vs. Georgia: Final Odds and Prediction

After two weeks of waiting, worrying, and prognosticating, it's finally gameday for Alabama Football and the Georgia Bulldogs. The time for talk is nearly over; it's almost time to lock the gate and see who comes out unscathed.

Both teams come into the game at 3-0 and ranked in the Top-5 of all major polls. Both took bye weeks last week and had two weeks to get ready for this game. In the expanded playoff world, while this game doesn't mean what it used to, there's still plenty on the line for both teams.

Georgia wants to prove it had a Nick Saban problem, not an Alabama problem, and the Bulldogs think they are the kings of college football. Alabama balks at that, and is the last line of defense from a complete Georgia takeover. It's Kalen DeBoer's first big game as the Alabama coach, and on a massive recruiting weekend for both football and basketball, a win would be a massive momentum booster.

The betting odds shifted toward Alabama at most sportsbooks yesterday, but FanDuel has remained solid with its favoriting of Georgia:

Odds courtesy of FanDuel as of 8am ET:

Line: Alabama +1.5
Over/Under: 50.5

Alabama is a home underdog for the first time since 2007 against LSU in Nick Saban's first season. Most books see this game as essentially a pick 'em, and most expect a similar points total to the game last season in Atlanta.

Final Prediction:

I expect this game to live up to the billing of a heavyweight fight. Georgia fans can talk all the talk they want about being superior to Alabama, but until they prove it, it's hard to believe it. One win in six tries isn't enough to swing the pendulum toward Athens.

As is normally the case, expect this game to come down to the trenches. Can Alabama run the ball? Can they stop the Georgia run? Can they get pressure on Carson Beck? I think if the answer to two of those three questions is yes, then Alabama wins the game.

I expect Alabama to find success running the ball thanks to one of the best offensive lines in the nation. Kadyn Proctor's return two weeks ago against Wisconsin gave us a glimpse of the potential of the unit up front, and I think we'll see more of that tonight.

I expect offensively and defensively for Alabama to throw stuff at Georgia that hasn't been put on film. Alabama has had very vanilla gameplans the first three games so as to not tip their hands for this game. Look for some creative stuff offensively, and look for the defense to get after Carson Beck. Kane Wommack has called blitzes only four times through three games; you can bet that number will go up, way up, tonight.

I expect a close, back-and-forth game throughout, with Alabama taking a long drive in the fourth quarter where they lean on a tired Bulldogs defense and punch in a touchdown late to put Georgia away.

Alabama 34, Georgia 24