The early Alabama football schedule is not a cakewalk. There are two SEC road games, and South Carolina is no automatic pushover. Still, the Crimson Tide should be 5-0 when the Georgia Bulldogs come to Tuscaloosa on Oct. 10.
The Bulldogs start off easy with Tennessee State, Western Kentucky, and at Arkansas. Next for Georgia will be Oklahoma and Vanderbilt in Athens. The Sooners might upset the Dawgs, but more likely Kirby Smart's team will also be 5-0 before Alabama.
Make or Break for Alabama Football?
It is fair to project that the Oct. 10 game will be the toughest regular-season game for both teams. According to FanDuel, the Bulldogs are currently a 2.5-point road favorite.
Dawn of the Dawg says, "Alabama is always the biggest game of the season whenever they are on Georgia's schedule." The Georgia site also contends that losing to the Crimson Tide would not severely damage Georgia's season. That opinion is driven by the perception that the Oct. 10 game will be Georgia's "most difficult" of the regular season. While that projection suggests respect for Alabama, perhaps more so, it is because Georgia's schedule does not include Texas, Texas A&M, and LSU.
Since the Crimson Tide has a more difficult regular season than Georgia, an Alabama win over the Bulldogs would clearly be a 'make' game. But a loss would not 'break' the Crimson Tide's season. The Tide knocking off the Dawgs in Tuscaloosa again could pretty much erase the embarrassment of Georgia's dominating win in last December's SEC Championship Game. It would also push Kalen DeBoer's record against Kirby Smart to 3-1.
When SI.com projected the top five contenders to contend for the SEC championship, Alabama Football was not included. Texas was No. 1, and Georgia was No. 2. Ahead of Alabama at No. 6 were LSU at No. 3, Ole Miss at No. 4, and Texas A&M at No. 5.
The Crimson Tide might make the playoffs with one win over either Georgia, LSU, or Texas A&M. Two wins should make Alabama an SEC Championship contender and potentially a high playoff seed.
The bottom line is that a loss will not 'break' either team on Oct. 10. The game will still be huge in terms of fan interest, and the winner will get a sweet victory.
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