We are officially in Week 4 of the college football season. Alabama (3-0) is set to take on Georgia (3-0) for this matchup between two top 3 teams.
With the uncertainty surrounding the status of head coach Nick Saban due to a positive COVID-19 test on Wednesday, the storylines surrounding this game have been interesting. It does look like Saban could be available, however, after he had two consecutive negative tests on Thursday and Friday.
The line between the Crimson Tide and the Bulldogs continues to fluctuate due the back and forth with Saban, but it currently sits at Alabama -5.5 against Georgia, according to BetMGM.
Below are the predictions from the staff at Roll Tide Wire, including some analysis!
AJ Spurr, Contributor
Alabama’s strong offense is No. 1 in the nation averaging over 50 points per game. However, Georgia’s defense looks like that of Crimson Tide’s past, allowing an average of 12 points per game.
Pete Golding’s defense has proven to be inconsistent and unreliable, so this game will come down to Mac Jones and Najee Harris attempting to get the best of the Bulldog’s defense.
A hard fought game in Tuscaloosa, Alabama could land the winner in the No. 1 spot in next week’s AP Top 25.
Final score: Alabama 38, Georgia 31
Clint Lamb, Managing Editor
I believe Alabama’s defense matches up better against Georgia than it did against Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss offense. That means the Tide should have more success, but that shouldn’t be hard to do considering how atrocious they looked against the Rebels. Like I mentioned before, a lot is going to be dictated on whether or not the defense can force the Bulldogs to be one-dimensional.
I believe Alabama likes its chances if the game is forced onto Bennett’s shoulders. That’s not meant as a knock towards Bennett either, as he’s a respectable quarterback who still has plenty of unknowns. But it has typically taken elite play at the quarterback position (for four quarters) to beat Alabama. Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence, Deshaun Watson, Johnny Manziel, Cam Newton and even Stephen Garcia for that one game are all perfect examples.
Can Bennett be that guy? It’s a question that might need to be answered.
But either way, it would be foolish to predict a blowout. Well, as long as the Alabama offense and Georgia defense can reach a stalemate like we all believe it will. If one is able to assert its dominance over the other, things could get ugly. But there are too many unknowns at play, one being the emotional factor for both teams, to predict this game with confidence.
But since we have to pick a score…
Final score: Alabama 31, Georgia 23
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