The third-ranked Georgia Bulldogs will face the second-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday. The game is scheduled for 8:00 P.M. Eastern on CBS.
Both of these teams are 3-0 and are on the top of the SEC. Georgia has arguably the best defense in college football, will be going up against Alabama’s top-ranked offense. However, this will be going down without Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban.
Alabama Without Saban
Saban tested positive for COVID-19, so he will be unable to attend the game on Saturday. He has also had to miss the practices leading up to this matchup.
But Saban has been consistent in saying game preparation is business as usual. He is doing everything he can through Zoom to get his players ready for their biggest game of the season.
“I’ll have the same exact routine,” Saban told reporters. “The first thing I do on Thursday morning is watch the defensive practice with the defense. Then we do two-point plays. Then I watch what we did against each other with the offense. Then I watch the offense practice, and I watch special teams. Then I usually do a little write-up for two-point plays for the team. I’ll do all those things exactly like I always do it.”
The staff said players were a bit shocked when news of the positive test came, but Saban quickly refocused them. The Alabama defense is going to have to play better than they have recently to win this game.
Last week, Alabama gave up 48 points to Ole Miss. They keep winning games because of their potent offense, scoring 63 points in that game. Their elite trio of receivers will provide a tough test for Georgia’s defense.
Georgia Defense Must Slow Down Alabama
If anyone can slow down Alabama’s offense, it is going to be the Bulldogs. A talented Auburn team only scored six points on this defense in the second week of the SEC season. In their last outing, Tennessee scored 21, which is by far the most points scored against Georgia.
Georgia is only giving up 236.7 total yards of offense this season, including only 38.3 yards on the ground. While the logic would lead you to believe Georgia is scoring early enough to force opponents to abandon the run, this has not been the case. Teams have at least 22 rushing attempts against the Bulldogs in every game in 2020.
The numbers from Stetson Bennett do not match up to those of Mac Jones, but are still impressive. Bennett has thrown for 689 yards and five touchdowns. He will need to have a great game to keep up with Alabama’s prolific offense.
Prediction
Alabama is a 4.5-point favorite on Saturday. While the line shrunk following the Saban announcement, they are still favored due to their offensive capabilities and playing at home.
I believe that Georgia will slow Alabama down a bit, but they won’t be able to hold down the Crimson Tide like they did Auburn. I have this game as a close one, maybe decided by a field goal.
For that reason, I am going to take the Bulldogs to cover at +4.5.
The over/under is set at 56. I don’t think it goes over by much, but it will get around 60. I’m also going to take the over.
Alabama wins a nail-biter by a field goal.