Saturday, Sept. 28
7:30 p.m. Eastern, 4:30 p.m. Pacific
ABC
The biggest game on the board in Week 5 of the 2024 college football season is here. Kirby Smart goes up against Kalen DeBoer in a superstar coaching matchup which does not involve Nick Saban. It is no longer a battle of student versus mentor in the Georgia-Alabama series. Smart doesn’t have to outmaneuver his former boss. Now he goes up against the “it” coach in college football, the rising young star who came from the small college ranks and formed a uniquely productive relationship with Michael Penix, parlaying that into successful tenures at Indiana, Fresno State, and Washington before being offered the chance to replace Saban in Tuscaloosa.
Kirby versus Kalen is going to be the central story of this game. Smart is the defensive genius. DeBoer is the masterful offensive schemer and game-planner. This is going to be one heckuva chess match, and we can’t wait to see how it will play out in Bryant-Denny Stadium in prime time.
Georgia Bulldogs-Alabama Crimson Tide Odds
Spread: Georgia -1.5 (-115), Alabama +1.5 (-105)
Total: 48.5 (Over -110, Under -110)
Underdog moneyline: Alabama +105
The game is basically a pick ‘em, with the total being at a number which makes the projected score in the mid-20s. That seems about right. It could be that the offenses will take off in this game, but that doesn’t feel like a certainty at all. Georgia’s offense struggled mightily in a 13-12 win at Kentucky. Alabama’s offense struggled for three and a half quarters against South Florida a few weeks ago. Alabama’s offense also struggled in the first quarter against Wisconsin before the Badgers lost their starting quarterback and the game unraveled for them from that point onward.
Hear T.J. and Gary handicap this game as part of the “3 Dog Thursday Podcast” this week by clicking play below,
What’s the key for Georgia to finally beat Bama?
The main key to this game would seem to be Georgia’s defensive front against Alabama’s offensive line. If Alabama can give Jalen Milroe a reasonable amount of time in the pocket and can at least enable Milroe to buy some time on scrambles instead of being swallowed up so completely that he has to throw the ball away and cannot improvise, Alabama should be able to hit some big plays. Some of them might be scrambles by Milroe, who is lethally fast. Others might be downfield shots on broken plays in which Georgia defenders might have good initial coverage but then find it impossible to keep up with Bama receivers if Milroe can extend a play beyond four or five seconds. Georgia wants to get pressure on Milroe, but that pressure needs to cave in the pocket and prevent Milroe from getting running lanes to make plays with his legs. That’s a big advantage Alabama has in this game: Milroe, more than Georgia quarterback Carson Beck, can make plays as a runner. Not that Beck is incapable of that, but Beck can’t change the game with his legs the way Milroe can.
If Milroe plays well, can Beck keep pace in a possible shootout? If Bama scores 31, can Georgia score 35? In a game where the spread winner is almost certain to be the outright winner, the lean here is to Alabama, because more of the questions seem to be on the Georgia side, especially UGA’s offense.