College football’s two premier programs square off Saturday night in Tuscaloosa, as the Georgia Bulldogs battle the Alabama Crimson Tide. Both teams head to Saban Field in Bryant-Denny Stadium with 3-0 records. The Bulldogs and Crimson Tide each coming off open dates.
Kalen DeBoer is in his first season as Alabama’s head coach, succeeding Nick Saban, college football’s most successful coach of the 2010’s. Saban led Alabama to six national championships between 2009 and 2020 and established a record of excellence rivaling the ultimate Crimson Tide legend, Paul “Bear”Bryant.
Large shoes to fill.
Thus far, the Tide has been typically outstanding.
The DeBoer era began at Bryant-Denny with a 63-0 blowout of Western Kentucky. Alabama then pulled away from South Florida for a 42-16 win in Tuscaloosa. Alabama then put it all together, blasting Wisconsin 42-10 in Madison.
Quarterback Jalen Milroe, an All-American candidate, headlined the dominating win over the Badgers with another tremendous performance, accounting for five touchdowns. Through three games, Milroe has completed 35 of 52 passes (67.3%) for 590 yards with eight touchdowns and no interceptions. He has run for six scores, amassing 156 yards on the ground. He’s the first quarterback to have both multiple rushing and passing touchdowns in each of three straight games since 2012.
Containing Milroe will be a tough task and an obvious key for Georgia’s hopes of a road victory in Tuscaloosa.
The Bulldogs defense has been very good this season. Through three games, the Dogs have not allowed a touchdown. That defense and a strong special teams performance from kicker Peyton Woodring and punter Brett Thorson drove the Dogs to a knee-knocking 13-12 triumph over Kentucky in Lexington last time out. Georgia’s offense struggled, in the first half in particular, against the Wildcats, but the Bulldogs found a way – and in the process kept alive some very impressive streaks and milestones.
Georgia opened the season with a resounding 34-3 victory over Clemson at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, then took down overmatched Tennessee Tech 48-3 prior to the win in Lexington. With the 3-0 start, Georgia has now won 42 consecutive regular season games, the longest such streak since Bud Wilkinson’s powerful Oklahoma program of the 1950s. The Bulldogs have won 28 straight regular season SEC games. Over the past 51 games, dating back to 2020, Georgia is a staggering 49-2. The two losses coming to Alabama in the 2021 and 2023 SEC Championship Games. Georgia would avenge the first of those losses, beating Alabama for the 2021 national title. Last season’s 27-24 loss to the Tide, Georgia’s only setback in a sensational 13-1 campaign, wound up keeping the Bulldogs out of the playoff.
Kirby Smart has taken Georgia to the greatest of heights, highlighted by back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022 and seven straight top-7 national finishes. One of Saban’s greatest proteges, Smart has created a dynasty in Athens, as the Bulldogs have ascended to unprecedented heights.
Both programs are dreaming big once again. The winner Saturday night takes a big step towards College Football Playoff and SEC Championship Game berths, while earning a little margin for error. For the loser, if both can take care of business the rest of the way, there is a very real chance that a rematch could be in the cards. A rematch, or two.