The Week 5 showdown between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Georgia Bulldogs certainly lived up to the hype of a top-five matchup and included a little bit of everything. Ultimately, Kalen DeBoer picked up his first victory in the SEC, but it took an all-time play by Ryan Williams to come out on top after the Tide let a 28-0 first-half lead evaporate.
Despite the loss, the Bulldogs remain ranked No. 5 in this week’s AP Poll with their Playoff hopes fully intact. Georgia has some tough games against Tennessee, Ole Miss and Texas still on the schedule, but I think it’s fair of the committee not to punish them for a one-touchdown road loss against the top team in the country.
With these two sides having won the past four SEC titles and three of the last four national titles, I don’t think it is premature to say it was basically a Playoff game in September. With three top ten teams losing and a few others in the Top 25 falling, it was the first truly chaotic weekend of the fall.
USA TODAY Sports named the Tide as the biggest winners of the weekend alongside the likes of Kentucky and Notre Dame who also picked up ranked wins saying,
“The marriage of DeBoer and quarterback Milroe continues to thrive, as expected. Milroe had 374 yards passing, a team-best 117 yards rushing and five total touchdowns. Williams led Alabama with 177 receiving yards, acrobatically dodging Georgia defenders with a series of highlight-reel plays that have made him one of the brightest young stars in recent SEC history. Again, a reminder: Williams is only 17 years old.”
With the SECCG and an expanded 12-team Playoff field still lying ahead, it’s not too crazy to imagine that Alabama and Georgia will meet again this fall.
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