An October treat as No. 2 Georgia and No. 6 Alabama renew their great rivalry

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — It should be no surprise that Georgia and Alabama are among the last unbeatens in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference.

It's been that way for years — decades, really.

Two of the league's top heavyweights will meet for the eighth time in seven years when No. 6 Alabama hosts No. 2 Georgia on Saturday night. It's become arguably the most significant rivalry in college football — a must-see event filled with NFL talent on both sides — and usually comes with championship implications.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart said having big games like this during the regular season “makes it exciting.”

“I mean, I see every game in the conference as a big game,” he said Wednesday. "This one has a more storied history, especially recent history, because of the matchups and because of the two divisions, where they ended up, you know, being pitted against each other and the meaningful games that we’ve played against them in the recent, I don’t know, 10-15 year history.”

The winner this weekend earns a tentative grip on a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff; the loser awaits a potential rematch in the SEC title game.

President Trump plans to attend the game, his second college visit this season. ESPN's “College GameDay” also will be on site in Tuscaloosa. Both the schools and the SEC are mapping out contingency plans beecause Tropical Storm Isaias is tracking to make landfall as a hurricane along the Gulf Coast by early Saturday.

The Crimson Tide (5-0, 3-0 SEC) have won 10 of the last 12 meetings with the Bulldogs (5-0, 3-0), including five in a row in the regular season. Georgia is a 1 1/2-point underdog, according to Las Vegas oddsmakers.

“Georgia is going to be our toughest challenge by far up to this point,” Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer said.

No one should expect a blowout. After all, three of the last four games have been decided by a touchdown or less, and neither of these programs is an SEC flavor of the week.

LSU, Ole Miss, Florida and Mississippi State already faltered this season after being the league's latest “team to watch.” LSU lost at Ole Miss, which got blown out the following week at Florida, which got blown out the following week at Missouri. Mississippi State, meanwhile, got thumped at home by Alabama a week ago.

No. 1 Texas, Georgia and Alabama remain without a blemish, though the Longhorns needed to rally from a 20-point deficit in the fourth quarter to knock off Ohio State in Week 1. The Bulldogs have won easily all season and Alabama had to rally once, against Florida State, before a 14—point victory.

This rivalry includes 76 games dating to 1895, with the teams playing relatively consistently until 1965. It's been more sporadic since then, raising the expectations for a showdown when the two do meet. Since 2007, they have met in five SEC championship games and two national title games, a number of them pitting Smart against his former boss, retired Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban. Alabama leads the overall series 45-27-4.

Their last meeting left Alabama’s CFP hopes on edge. Georgia rolled to a 28-7 victory in last December’s SEC championship game after the Crimson Tide upset the Bulldogs 24-21 in Athens during the regular season.

Alabama entered this season ranked 13th and picked to finish sixth in the conference. Five games later, it has scored at least 45 points in every game behind first-year starting quarterback Keelon Russell, who has exchanged modest expectations for Heisman Trophy-contender status.

Russell threw for 285 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score against Mississippi State. Smart said his improvement has been apparent since the opener, particularly in his ability to handle pressure and make decisions in the pocket.

“Their quarterback is playing amazing for them,” Smart said. “The guy is really talented, fun to watch and you’ve seen the growth just from the first game all the way through.”

Georgia is averaging a nation-leading 51.4 points a game, just ahead of Alabama’s 49.6. Georgia's Gunner Stockton has thrown 13 touchdown passes and one interception, with three of those scores coming in Saturday’s 38-14 win over Vanderbilt.

Georgia’s run defense only allows 57.4 yards per game and presents a tougher challenge for an Alabama offense looking to play with more physicality. The Crimson Tide did not have a negative rushing play against Mississippi State, offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said.

Smart noted that several new players have added strength to Alabama’s defensive front.

“They’ve gotten more size and more strength at the point of attack,” Smart said. “They are very physical, which is something Alabama has always had.”

A presential visit could present other challenges, although coaches suggested it would merely entail extra security checks before reaching the stadium. The Tide even discussed what to do if communication systems become unavailable during Trump's time in the stadium.

“Adapt and overcome. Whatever it takes, we’ll be ready,” Grubb said. “We’ve got systems in place to take care of that, and we won’t make a thing out of it.”

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