No. 2 Georgia meets No. 2 Alabama in the first top-five matchup of the 2024 college football season.
Game time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala.,, and this SEC main event will be televised on ABC. These schools combined for half of the national championships in the four-team College Football Playoff era – and this game will set the tone for the SEC and 12-team CFP race. Both teams had a bye week to get ready, too.
Georgia (3-0) was No. 1 in the preseason polls, and a victory here could put them back in that spot. The Bulldogs have won 28 consecutive SEC regular-season games under coach Kirby Smart, and Heisman Trophy contender Carson Beck has yet to throw an interception. The Bulldogs have allowed just 6.0 points per game and have not allowed an offensive TD this season.
Alabama (3-0) is the defending SEC champion, however, and this is the first top-five matchup with the Crimson Tide for first-year coach Kalen DeBoer. Alabama ranks sixth in scoring offense (49.0 ppg.) and sixth in scoring defense (8.7 ppg.). This also is a chance for quarterback Jalen Milroe to build on his Heisman Trophy campaign. Milroe ranks second in the SEC in passer efficiency (213.4).
This is the best matchup of September; one both fan-bases had circled in different shades of red this offseason. Here is everything you need to know about the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs:
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Georgia vs. Alabama odds
- Spread: Georgia -2
- Over/under: 46.5
- Moneyline: Georgia -130, Alabama +110
Latest Caesars Odds
This has dropped a half-point from the opening line, and Alabama has not been an underdog in a regular-season game since Oct. 3, 2015. No. 13 Alabama beat No. 8 Georgia 38-10 in that game – which set the course for a national championship season for the Crimson Tide. The Bulldogs’ last win at Bryant-Denny Stadium was on Sept. 22, 2007 – when No. 22 Georgia beat No. 16 Alabama 26-23 in overtime on Sept. 22, 2007. That was Nick Saban’s first season at Alabama and his first loss as the Tide’s coach.
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Georgia vs. Alabama: Three trends to know
— Georgia is 9-0 S/U as an away favorite since 2022 under Smart, but the Bulldogs are 3-6 ATS in those games. Smart also is 9-5 S/U against top-five teams since taking the job with the Bulldogs.
— Alabama is 15-1 S/U at home since 2022 – with the lone loss coming against Texas last season. The Longhorns won 34-24. The Crimson Tide is 10-5-1 ATS at home in that stretch. Kalen DeBoer was 2-1 S/U in top-five matchups the last two seasons at Washington.
— Georgia and Alabama have met six times since the 2017 season. Three of those games were SEC championships, and two were CFP championship games. Here is a look at the results from those games:
| DATE | GAME | WINNER | SCORE | LOSER | SCORE | SPREAD |
| Jan. 8, 2018 | CFP championship | No. 4 Alabama | 26 | No. 3 Georgia | 23 | Alabama -3.5 |
| Dec. 1, 2018 | SEC championship | No. 1 Alabama | 35 | No. 4 Georgia | 28 | Alabama -14 |
| Oct. 17, 2020 | Regular season | No. 2 Alabama | 41 | No. 3 Georgia | 24 | Alabama -6 |
| Dec. 4, 2021 | SEC championship | No. 3 Alabama | 41 | No. 1 Georgia | 24 | Georgia -6.5 |
| Jan. 10, 2022 | CFP championship | No. 3 Georgia | 33 | No. 1 Alabama | 18 | Georgia -2.5 |
| Dec. 2, 2023 | SEC championship | No. 8 Alabama | 27 | No. 1 Georgia | 24 | Georgia -5.5 |
Alabama is 5-1 S/U in those games. The favorite is 4-2 S/U but 2-4 ATS, and the underdog has won two of the last three meetings.
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Georgia vs. Alabama: Three things to watch
Will Trevor Etienne have a breakout game?
Etienne – who transferred from Florida – was suspended in Georgia’s opener. Etienne averages 6.5 yards per carry through two games – and he must be a factor in the running game. The Bulldogs averaged just 2.5 yards per carry against Alabama in last year’s SEC championship game loss. The Georgia interior offensive line, which is missing All-American guard Tate Ratledge, will need to account for Alabama nose tackle Tim Keenan III, who has 15 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss as an impressive start for defensive coordinator Kane Wommack.
How will Georgia cover Ryan Williams?
Ryan Williams – a freshman sensation – averages 29.5 yards per catch with four TDs in three games. According to Pro Football Focus, he has caught four of six targets on passes of 20 yards or more, and that has been good for 217 yards and three TDs. He averages 16 yards after the catch – and that will be the key for the Georgia secondary, led by junior safety Malaki Starks in the middle and deep right of the field, where Williams has been the most dangerous. Williams is the best vertical threat in this game – and Georgia must account for that at all times.
Carson Beck or Jalen Milroe in the fourth quarter
Beck was 15 of 24 for 160 yards in the 13-12 victory against Kentucky on Sept. 14, and he had 243 passing yards in the loss to Alabama last season. Beck hasn’t been asked to do much in the fourth quarter this season – but he is 75% with a TD and no interceptions in that situation. Milroe has been a dynamic fit with DeBoer with 590 passing yards, 156 rushing yards and 14 total TDs. He has a 71.4% completion percentage with three TDs in the fourth quarter this season. In the fourth quarter of last year’s SEC championship, Georgia trailed 20-10. Beck was 4 of 7 for 58 yards and two TDs. Milroe was 5 of 5 for 59 yards and a TD. That is high-level play on both sides.
Georgia vs. Alabama stat that matters: The red zone
How much do the red-zone stats matter? It’s hard to tell. Georgia has allowed just four trips inside the red zone, and they have given up three field goals. Alabama has allowed seven red-zone trips, and opposing teams have scored two TDs with three field goals.
On the other side, Georgia is 12 of 12 scoring in the red zone, with seven TDs and five field goals. Alabama is 9 of 11 with nine TDs and no field goals. That suggests DeBoer will be willing to go for it, and Smart might settle for field goals. Will that come back to haunt one of those coaches knowing how those decisions are magnified in a game like this?
Five of the six TDs in last year’s SEC championship game were scored in the red zone. So we think it matters a lot.
Georgia vs. Alabama prediction
Alabama has a solid running game, too, and Jam Miller and Justice Haynes combine to average 9.1 yards per carry. Expect the Crimson Tide to lean on that running game early, and the Crimson Tide easily could lead at halftime on the strength of a pair of TDs from Milroe. Beck will be asked to do more in this game, and we think he delivers in the second half with percentage passes to Dominic Lovett and Arian Smith. Tight end Lawson Luckie could be a hidden gem in this game, too. Etienne gets enough on the ground, and Beck does not make a game-changing mistake. Georgia kicker Peyton Woodring is 5 of 5 on field goals this year, but he has not had an attempt from 40 yards or more. If he gets a chance for a game-winner in this situation , will it be true on the road? Expect an instant classic in Tuscaloosa with the very-real possibility these teams run that back later.
Final score: Georgia 24, Alabama 21
