Alabama and Georgia have had this SEC showdown circled on their schedules for a long time, with the teams being near the top of the conference standings through September.
The twist is that this is the first regular-season meeting between the teams since 2020, when the Crimson Tide notched a 41-24 win in Tuscaloosa.
The teams have met three times since then, with Alabama beating UGA in the 2021 and 2023 SEC championships, while the Bulldogs were triumphant in the College Football Playoff Championship game at the conclusion of the 2021 season.
As usual in a modern Georgia-Alabama matchup, the stakes are high and the direction of each program is set to be point up or down based on who wins Saturday in Tuscaloosa.
The AJC’s SEC Power Poll certainly will see shifts after this Saturday’s games, with opportunities for teams to separate throughout the 16-team standing.
Arkansas plays Texas A&M at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, in a crossroads game for Hogs coach Sam Pittman, while Aggies first-year coach Mike Elko looks to build program momentum.
Kentucky will provide Ole Miss with its first true test of the season in the Rebels’ SEC opener, while Oklahoma looks to remain in contention with a road game at Auburn, and Texas plays host to a depleted Mississippi State team.
But the main event, with ESPN’s “College GameDay” coming to town, takes place in Alabama with Georgia trying to win its first game in Tuscaloosa since 2007.
“This is the most important regular-season football game for Georgia in a long time,” SEC Network analyst Chris Doering said of 7:30 p.m. clash on ABC. “Obviously, Kirby Smart is the dean of college football coaching with Nick Saban retired, but he has not done well against Alabama — that’s the one thing he has to check off the box.”
Smart is 1-5 in games against Alabama — all of them against Saban.
“This is one Georgia really needs to maintain its spot atop the SEC,” CBS analyst Shehan Jeyarajah said. “If UGA loses this game, suddenly the schedule looks even more daunting with road trips to Texas and Ole Miss remaining.
“A win for Georgia should all but lock up a playoff path.”
A loss, however, will bring great discomfort to a Bulldogs program that enters the game with a 42-game regular-season win streak.
“I think this game is much bigger for Georgia than it is for Alabama, because Kalen DeBoer is in year one, and no one can honestly believe that he’s going to step in and be Nick Saban right off the bat,” Doering pointed out.
“The expectations for the next Nick Saban are there in Athens, and Kirby Smart has to find a way to win this game on the road in a hostile environment on Saturday.”
Fox Sports Radio analyst Aaron Torres sees two teams eager to exploit one another’s perceived weaknesses.
“Kirby Smart lamented all offseason that this wasn’t his deepest or most talented defensive line, and it was sort of exposed as fact allowing 170 rush yards versus Kentucky,” Torres said. “Well, can a Bama team that’s averaging over 230 yards per game on the ground consistently move the ball against them? Because if so, it’s going to be a long night for (Georgia).
“On the other hand, virtually everyone — from Nick Saban on down — has questioned Alabama’s secondary,” Torres said. “It’s hard to argue that Western Kentucky, South Florida and Wisconsin (with their back-up quarterback) have provided the stiffest test so far.
“Can Carson Beck and one of deepest wide receiver corps in the country expose them?”
The answers to those questions, as the Orlando Sentinel’s Edgar Thompson points out, will go a long way toward determining the program’s futures.
“This game is probably going to settle one of the tiebreakers for the SEC title game,” Thompson said. “The loser has work to do, with Texas, Tennessee and Ole Miss looming.
“Head-to-head matters, and this is the first big one.”
Moving up: There wasn’t much ground gained Saturday as much as it was contending teams like Tennessee, Missouri, Texas A&M and Arkansas holding serve.
Falling down: Auburn dropped a 24-14 home game to the Razorbacks, prompting second-year coach Hugh Freeze to share critiques of his players after the game that have not gone over well.
AJC SEC Power Poll after week 4
Note: The parenthetical after the current ranking denotes last week’s ranking.
1. (1) Texas — 143 points, Highest vote 1, Lowest vote 2
2. (2) Georgia — 134 points, Highest vote 1, Lowest vote 3
3. (3) Tennessee — 127 points, Highest vote 2, Lowest vote 4
4. (4) Alabama — 114 points, Highest vote 3, Lowest vote 5
5. (5) Ole Miss — 111 points, Highest vote 4, Lowest vote 6
6. (6) Missouri — 94 points, Highest vote 5, Lowest vote 7
7. (7) LSU — 91 points, Highest vote 5, Lowest vote 9
8. (T-8) Texas A&M — 73 points, Highest vote 7, Lowest vote 11
9. (10) South Carolina — 70 points, Highest vote 7, Lowest vote 11
10. (T-8) Oklahoma — 68 points, Highest vote 7, Lowest vote 11
11. (11) Arkansas — 64 points, Highest vote 7, Lowest vote 11
12. (12) Kentucky — 40 points, Highest vote 12, Lowest vote 15
13. (14) Vanderbilt — 36 points, Highest vote 11, Lowest vote 15
T-14 (13) Auburn — 25 points, Highest vote 13, Lowest vote 15
T-14 (15) Florida — 25 points, Highest vote 13, Lowest vote 15
16. (16) Mississippi State — 9 points, Highest vote 16, Lowest vote 16
SEC Power Poll voting panel
SEC football schedule, Saturday, Sept. 28
Kentucky (0-2, 0-2 SEC) at Ole Miss (4-0, 0-0), Noon, ABC
Oklahoma (3-1, 1-1) at Auburn 2-2, 0-1), 3:30 p.m., ABC
Arkansas (3-1, 1-0) vs. Texas A&M (3-1, 1-0), 3:30 p.m., ESPN
Mississippi State (1-3, 0-1) at Texas (4-0, 0-0), 4:30 p.m., SEC Network
Georgia (3-0, 1-0) at Alabama (3-0, 0-0), 7:30 p.m., ABC
South Alabama (2-2) at LSU (3-1, 1-0), 7:45 p.m., SEC Network
Off: Florida (2-2, 1-1), Missouri 4-0, 1-0), South Carolina (3-1, 1-1), Tennessee (4-0, 1-0), Vanderbilt (2-2, 0-1).
About the Author
