Alabama vs Georgia: The clash between rivals is a test for two powerhouses in college football
In previous eras of college football, such as when formulas determined the national championship matchup, or for the past decade when only four teams advanced to the playoff, a matchup like Saturday’s visit by No. 2 Georgia to fourth-ranked Alabama might have acted as a de facto knockout game.
In previous eras of college football, such as when formulas determined the national championship matchup, or for the past decade when only four teams advanced to the playoff, a matchup like Saturday’s visit by No. 2 Georgia to fourth-ranked Alabama might have acted as a de facto knockout game.
The College Football Playoff’s expansion to 12 teams this season has left more margin for error for teams with national title ambitions that play in the sport’s four most powerful conferences.
But that doesn’t mean the stakes are necessarily lower for Saturday’s meeting of undefeated Southeastern Conference rivals (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
Alabama (3-0) is an underdog at home for the first time since 2007, according to ESPN. Long the standard-bearer in the SEC under former coach Nick Saban, Alabama now has its first opportunity under his successor, first-year coach Kalen DeBoer, to show it remains a credible title threat — a distinction this season’s Georgia team is still trying to prove as well.
Though the Bulldogs (3-0) have won two national championships under Kirby Smart, a former Saban staffer, and opened this season by outscoring their first two opponents 81-6, they barely edged Kentucky last week, 13-12, and slipped one spot in the polls afterward.
Rating: 5