World News

The latest News Of The World

The clash between rivals Georgia and Alabama is a test for two powerhouses in college football

Feed247:

The clash between rivals Georgia and Alabama is a test for two powerhouses in college football

The expansion of the college football playoff may provide more margin for error, but both teams will want to prove they are the best in the Southeastern Conference.
Jalen Milroe #4 of the Alabama Crimson Tide is pursued by Daylen Everette #6 of the Georgia Bulldogs during the first quarter in the SEC Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 2, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Alabama’s Jalen Milroe is tackled by Georgia Bulldogs’ Daylen Everette during the 2023 SEC Championship in Atlanta. Todd Kirkland / Getty Images file
Sept. 28, 2024, 10:39 AM UTC / Updated Sept. 28, 2024, 11:17 PM UTC

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.

More Sports from NBC News

  • Oakland says goodbye to major professional sports with A’s final game
  • Cowboys seal 20-15 victory over Giants, taking record to 2-2; Parsons and Nabers leave game with injuries
  • Brett Favre’s Parkinson’s diagnosis reignites questions about football’s link to brain disease
  • Why the NFL has TV executives freaking out over 2029

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.

Georgia quarterback Carson Beck, a second-year starter, has yet to throw an interception and has helped the Bulldogs score every time they have been inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. But Georgia also has imperfections, such as its 74th-ranked third-down conversion rate, its 81st-ranked third-down defense and its numerous penalties.

Alabama has also struggled in key areas, including limiting its penalties and fumbles. And yet, with the country’s fifth-best passing defense, it could have the personnel to limit Beck, starting with Keon Sabb, who has already intercepted three passes in three games this season.

Dating to 2008, Alabama has won eight of the last nine games against Georgia.

Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/sports