Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images
Alabama vs. Georgia is the biggest game of college football’s regular season. Here’s what you need to know.
Week 5 of the 2024 College Football Season has a number of Top-25 matchups on the slate. Things get rolling early in the day when No. 20 Oklahoma State takes on No. 23 Kansas State, and other games include No. 15 Louisville visiting No. 13 Notre Dame, and No. 19 Illinois visiting No. 9 Penn State.
But the biggest of them all is Saturday night, when No. 2 Georgia travels to Tuscaloosa to take on No. 4 Alabama. This early-season rematch of the SEC Championship Game from a year ago has massive implications, is just the fifth time that a pair of teams ranked in the top four have met before October, and the first since then-No. 1 Alabama beat then-No. 3 Florida State 24-7 back in 2017.
Here is how, and what, to watch for.
How to watch
Gameday: Saturday, September 28th. 2024
Game time: 7:30 pm ET
TV: ABC
Broadcast Team: Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit
Location: Bryant-Denny Stadium (Tuscaloosa, Alabama)
Streaming: Live stream on fuboTV
What to watch for
Jalen Milroe’s night in the spotlight
The last time Alabama QB Jalen Milroe faced off against the Bulldogs, he threw two touchdowns as the Crimson Tide knocked off their rivals in the SEC Championship game. Much has changed about the Tide since that game, but so has Milroe. His total EPA has improved massively compared to the first few games of 2023, as has his completion percentage and sack rate. He’s playing with much more control and looks composed in head coach Kalen DeBoer’s offense. He faces his biggest test of the year with the uber talented Bulldogs defense and a face off with Georgia QB Carson Beck. This could be Milroe’s moment—let’s see if he takes it.
Can the Georgia offense get back on track?
The Bulldogs began the year with a pair of blowout victories. They throttled Clemson 34-3 in the Aflac Kickoff game, and then blew out Tennessee Tech 48-3 thanks in large part to five touchdowns passes from Beck.
Last week against Kentucky, however, was a much different story.
Georgia’s offense seemed out of sync all night, with Kentucky’s physical play holding the Bulldogs to just 13 points in Georgia’s 13-12 victory. “They’re a physical team and there’s a lot of respect there, but we were able to pull it out,” said Beck after the game, which saw him take a number of shots and left him with a banged-up shoulder. “A win is a win, and I’m really proud of the guys.”
Now they face a defense that is fifth in the nation in passing efficiency.
Getting their offense back on track, perhaps via the ground game, is a big storyline heading into Saturday night.
Which defensive unit stands up: Georgia’s defensive line or Alabama’s secondary?
The non-QB position players for both teams are going to be the main event for this heavyweight clash, with the two major standouts being the Georgia pass rush and Alabama’s secondary. The Dawgs are still nasty up front. The top name for Georgia is EDGE Mykel Williams, who missed the last two Georgia games with an ankle injury. However, many have stepped up in his place, namely hybrid player Jalon Walker and defensive lineman Nazir Stackhouse. Going up against an improved Alabama front that’ll test their pass rush will be a major challenge, even if Williams is able to play.
On the other side of the ball, Alabama’s secondary is battle tested and playing at a very high level. The Tide are fourth in EPA per pass allowed this season, first in Positive Play Rate allowed and have led this unit to a really strong start this season. Georgia’s offense might not throw it all over the yard, but they have some really talented guys in that receiving room and a QB who can deliver the ball with pinpoint accuracy. Look for CBs Keon Sabb and Malachi Moore to play big roles.
Kirby Smart versus Alabama
Kirby Smart has built one of the most impressive head coaching resumes in college football, even if it a bit short. After all, Georgia is his first stop as a head coach, but in his time in Athens he has a pair of National Championships under his belt.
One Achilles’ heel, however?
Alabama.
Smart is just 1-4 against Alabama over his career at Georgia. Certainly that one win stands out, as it came in a National Championship Game. But he has four losses to the Crimson Tide during his coaching tenure at Georgia, and would love to avoid a fifth. Now, those first five games came against Nick Saban, who will not be prowling the opposite sideline on Saturday night in Tuscaloosa …
Kalen DeBoer’s first big test
Instead, it will be Kalen DeBoer.
DeBoer is off to a 3-0 start since filling those massive shoes Saban left behind. But all three victories came outside of the conference.
Now for his first SEC game as a head coach he gets to welcome the No. 2 team in the country to town.
Quite the way to start your conference schedule. How DeBoer handles this game is another massive storyline heading into Saturday night.
But with the 12-team playoff, not an elimination game
The addition of the 12-team playoff makes this game much more interesting. While the winner certainly catapults themselves to the top of the AP poll, the loser doesn’t truly lose as much as they would if this were a four-team playoff. With at-large bids being given out to other P4 schools based on their record and place in the final AP poll and this being the SEC, the loser of this doesn’t necessarily eliminate themselves from the (slightly smaller) Big Dance.
Alabama still has ranked matchups against Tennessee, Missouri, LSU and Oklahoma on their schedule, while Georgia draws Texas, Ole Miss and Tennessee. The road to the CFP is still wide open for both of these teams—but they can’t afford to get blown out in any of these games, including the one on Saturday. Style points matter to this committee, and a close, tightly contested game between these two heavyweights might keep the loser in the CFP race.
