Alabama-Georgia
Saturday, Dec. 6
4:05 p.m. Eastern, 1:05 p.m. Pacific
ABC
Alabama-Georgia is one of multiple regular-season rematches on Championship Saturday. The SEC football season comes down to this, with Alabama trying to nail down a playoff berth in a game Georgia does not need to win in order to make the 12-team CFP field. These teams are both playing for a conference title, but they do not stand on equal footing relative to the College Football Playoff picture.
Georgia is 11-1 and cannot miss the playoff even with a loss. Kirby Smart’s team is in the field. The thing Georgia is playing for in this game, beyond an SEC championship, is a first-round bye and a path directly into the quarterfinals in the Sugar Bowl. Georgia was the No. 2 seed and the Sugar Bowl host last season. The Bulldogs are aiming for a similar goal when they play the Crimson Tide on Saturday.
Alabama knows that when it takes the field in Atlanta, it will need to be competitive and pass the eye test. Alabama could very well get into the playoff with a loss, but the loss has to be close and something which makes the Tide look good. It’s true that Alabama has already beaten Georgia this season, and on the road at that. Moreover, the playoff committee does not want to set a precedent of punishing a team for playing a 13th game while other playoff contenders play only 12 games. If Alabama loses a close and generally well-played game, it should be in. The Tide would have a right to feel confident if they lose a 27-24 game which goes down to the wire.
The big worry for Alabama is that if the Tide get their doors blown off, by 20 or more points, their stock could drop at the worst possible time. Miami, Notre Dame, Texas, and Vanderbilt would all be waiting in line for a chance to swoop in and take Alabama’s place. If Alabama gets crushed, the Tide would have reason to worry going into Selection Sunday.
Alabama has been very inconsistent in recent weeks
Crimson Tide can’t let this game unravel
Alabama-Georgia is fascinating for a lot of reasons. One is that it’s not really about the winner, but how close the game is, as we noted above. Another key plot point in this game is that Alabama looks a lot worse than it did in the middle third of the season, including the win at Georgia. Quarterback Ty Simpson has struggled with turnovers. He has looked shaky in a number of big games. He played well against Georgia, but the Bulldogs now get a second chance to game-plan against him. If Alabama cannot regain a measure of the good form it displayed two months ago, this game could get out of hand and the Tide might get excluded from the playoff.
Alabama Crimson Tide-Georgia Bulldogs Odds
Hear TJ Rives and Jason Powers break down this game on the 3Dog Thursday Podcast by clicking Play below:
Spread: Alabama +2.5 (-110), Georgia -2.5 (-110)
Total: 47.5 (Over -110, Under -110)
Underdog moneyline: Alabama +115
Alabama has found a way to beat Georgia on a consistent basis. For some reason, Bama has been UGA’s Kryptonite. Georgia has a chance to change that in this game, but Alabama has more on the line here for reasons we articulated above. There are a lot of competing reasons to go with either side in this game. It ultimately feels like a coin flip, and that’s not the kind of game you should be on. Take a pass here and look for other games on Saturday.