It's the bye week for Alabama Football, but all eyes are set on the Crimson Tide's upcoming matchup with the Georgia Bulldogs on September 28th in Tuscaloosa. The Tide and the Bulldogs have played in some classic games over the years, particularly since Nick Saban arrived in Tuscaloosa, and more times than not, it has been Alabama that has come out on top in these matchups.
With Saban retired, can Kalen DeBoer continue that trend? The first-year head coach has a history of success in marquee matchups, but Georgia is a different beast and it will take a clean, mistake-free game for the Crimson Tide to walk off of Saban Field 4-0 next Saturday.
As we await the highly anticipated matchup between SEC heavyweights, we're taking a look back at the 10 best wins for Alabama over Georgia. There's been games with SEC and National Championships on the line, classic regular season bouts before Saban's arrival, and a game that launched the Alabama dynasty.
No. 10: September 17, 1960 - Alabama 21, Georgia 6 - Birmingham, Alabama
This was the season opener in 1960 for the Crimson Tide as they entered year three under head coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. Bryant was still looking for a breakthrough with Alabama coming off of a 7-2-2 season in 1959.
Alabama entered the game unranked against the No. 13 ranked Bulldogs, who were the defending SEC Champions. Georgia was one of the established conference elites, and a team Bryant needed to beat to show that Alabama was an upper-echelon team in the Southeastern Conference.
This was also the first college football game ever televised by ABC. In front of a national audience, Alabama upset a Georgia team led by future Hall-of-Fame QB Frank Tarkenton, 21-6. Alabama would go on to finish 1960 ranked No. 9 in the AP Poll, and used the 1960 campaign as a lauching pad to win the program's first national championship in 20-years in 1961.
No. 9: October 3, 2015 - Alabama 38, Georgia 10 - Athens, Georgia
Going into Sanford Stadium in October of 2015 Alabama had been the betting favorite in 72 consecutive games. That streak came to an end as the No. 8 Bulldogs were favored over the No. 13 Crimson Tide. Doubt had crept in about the Saban dynasty for the first time as Alabama was two full seasons removed from its last national championship and two weeks prior had just lost to Ole Miss for the second straight season.
Obituaries were written after the loss to the Rebels, and not many saw what was coming as Alabama came on to the field in Athens in a driving rainstorm.
After the team's traded field goals over the first quarter and a half, Alabama kicked into a gear Georgia simply didn't have, scoring three touchdowns over the last eight and a half minutes of the second quarter. Derrick Henry burst through the line for a 30-yard touchdown run, Minkah Fitzpatrick scored off a blocked punt, and Jake Coker hit a deep-ball to Calvin Ridley to give Alabama a 24-3 lead at halftime, stunning the crowd at Sanford Stadium.
Things didn't get better in the second half for the Bulldogs, as Eddie Jackson returned an interception for a touchdown and Jake Coker scored on a short run to give Alabama a 38-3 advantage. Nick Chubb broke a long touchdown late in the third quarter, but it was inconsequential. Alabama dominated the 'Dawgs, and reminded everyone that the dynasty was still in full force.
Alabama went on to win the national championship over Clemson in the second year of the playoff era.
No. 8: October 1, 1994: Alabama 29, Georgia 28 - Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Alabama's win over Georgia in 1994 is most notable due to the come-from-behind nature. Alabama trailed at one point 21-7, and the Bulldogs held a 28-19 lead in the fourth quarter. But senior QB Jay Barker had his most prolific passing game of his college career in leading the Tide comeback.
Barker passed for 396 yards and Michael Proctor hit a game-winning field goal with just over a minute to play for the one-point win.
Barker used the Georgia game as a springboard for a season that ultimately saw him finish 5th in Heisman Trophy voting. The Crimson Tide went unbeaten in the regular season before a one-point loss to Florida in the SEC Championship game derailed what could have possibly been Gene Stallings' 2nd national title team in Tuscaloosa.
No. 7: September 2nd, 1985 - Alabama 20, Georgia 16 - Athens, Georgia
Alabama led for most of the day in the 1985 season opener, but disaster struck with under one minute to play when Georgia blocked an Alabama punt and scored a touchdown to take a 16-13 lead.
With just 50-seconds to play, Tide quarterback Mike Shula engineered a 5-play, 71-yard scoring drive that only took 35-seconds. Shula hit Al Bell for the winning touchdown to allow the Crimson Tide to escape from Athens with a win.
It was the first of two legendary drives for Shula in 1985. Later in the year, he engineered the winning drive in the Iron Bowl, capped by a 55-yard field goal from Van Tiffin as time expired for Alabama's upset of No. 7 Auburn.
No. 6: December 4, 2021 - Alabama 41, Georgia 24 - SEC Championship Game
Similarly to the 2015 matchup in Athens, Alabama came into the 2021 SEC Championship Game as underdogs for the first time in quite a while. Following the 2015 game against Georgia, Alabama went 92 straight games being the favorite.
Doubt had once again creeped in as the Bulldogs were a dominant, undefeated team and Alabama limped into Atlanta following a 4-OT win in the Iron Bowl the week prior. The game started as most expected, with Georgia breaking out to a 10-0 lead. But Alabama outscored the Bulldogs 24-7 the rest of the first half, with Bryce Young connecting on touchdowns to Jameson Williams and John Metchie, and then running one in from 11-yards out with only 26-seconds to play in the half.
Leading by 7, Alabama came out of the half and Young immediately hit a 55-yard bomb to Williams to put the Tide up 31-17. Jordan Battle shut the door on any inkling of a Bulldogs come back by picking off a Stetson Bennett pass and returning it 42-yards for a touchdown.
It was a cathartic victory for the Crimson Tide, giving Nick Saban his 8th SEC Championship at Alabama. Unfortunately, the Tide lost a rematch to the Bulldogs in the national championship a month later.
No. 5: December 2nd, 2023: Alabama 27, Georgia 24 - SEC Championship Game
For the third straight game against Georgia, Alabama found themselves as underdogs against Georgia and most pundits didn't give the Crimson Tide a shot. Similarly to two years prior, Alabama entered the SEC Championship limping in, needing a miracle in the Iron Bowl the week prior to defeat Auburn at Jordan-Hare.
Georgia had looked dominant, the two-time defending national champions were riding a 28-game winning streak. Georgia's opening drive looked easy as they took an early 7-0 lead and Alabama's offense couldn't get the ball moving. Until it did.
Alabama reeled off 17 straight points before halftime, with a Reichard field goal, a Jalen Milroe to Jam Miller touchdown, and then a Milroe touchdown pass to Jermaine Burton following a bold fourth down gamble by Saban.
Alabama was able to keep the 'Dawgs at bay the rest of the way and held on to a 27-24 win to win the SEC and make it back to the playoff.
No. 4: September 27, 2008: Alabama 41, Georgia 30 - Athens, Georgia
The infamous blackout game. The game that most point to as the jumping off point for the Saban dynasty. The No. 8 Crimson Tide went to Athens and delivered a beatdown of the No. 3 Bulldogs, building a 31-0 lead in the first half and never looking back.
Alabama punched Georgia in the mouth from the opening kickoff, deploying joyless murderball before the term was ever coined. Georgia wore black because they were going to their own funeral, and Alabama fans knew after this game that things were different.
No. 3: December 1, 2012: Alabama 32, Georgia 28 - SEC Championship Game
When Alabama and Georgia met in Atlanta in the 2012 SEC Championship Game, it was essentially the de-facto National Championship. The winner was going to face Notre Dame in Miami, and Georgia would have done to the Irish the same thing the Crimson Tide did.
Behind a 181-yard rushing performance from Eddie Lacy, Alabama rallied from a 21-10 third quarter deficit. Alabama took a 25-21 lead early in the fourth quarter, but the Bulldogs responded with a Todd Gurley touchdown to take a 28-25 advantage.
Then AJ McCarron delivered a strike to Amari Cooper for a long touchdown to give the Tide a 4-point lead with 3:15 to play.
Alabama's defense made a late stand after a furious drive led by Aaron Murray, and a tipped pass at the line by CJ Mosley was just enough to get the Tide the win.
No. 2: December 1, 2018: Alabama 35, Georgia 28 - SEC Championship Game
You all know what No. 1 is going to be, but I want you to know that it was a strugle fo me to not put this one above it. I think this is my favorite football game I've ever watched.
It was cinematic. A rematch of the National Championsip the year before, with the script flipping for Alabama's quarterbacks. Tua Tagovailoa was injured with Alabama trailing 28-21 in the fourth quarter, and the guy he replaced in the same venue, Jalen Hurts, was called upon to save the day.
Hurts put his superman cape on, and drove the Tide down the field throwing a game tying touchdown pass to Jerry Jeudy. After an ill-fated fake punt call by Kirby Smart, Hurts engineered the game winning drive, calling his own number on a QB draw to give Alabama the lead for good.
If Alabama hadn't fallen flat in the title game the next month against Clemson, this would probably top the list.
No. 1: January 8, 2018: Alabama 26, Georgia 23 - CFP National Championship Game
2nd and 26. Not much else needs to be said. Freshman Tua Tagovailoa came off the bench and led Alabama back from 13-0 down in the second half, culminating with one of the greatest plays in the history of college football: