Preview: Georgia versus Alabama

Tyler Stearns |

Georgia versus Alabama is the headliner matchup for this week. Arguably the best programs of the last seven years, the Bulldogs and the Crimson Tide will battle it out in Tuscaloosa on Saturday at 4:40 pm prime time. This matchup may even be what we see in the National Championship this year, and most likely in the SEC Championship too.

Alabama Versus Georgia, Via On3

Both teams are undefeated, but they have each had some shaky wins. Alabama scored 28 in the fourth quarter points to break away from South Florida, a game in which they didn't dominate and showed glaring weaknesses. But Georgia had an even worse performance against a bad Kentucky team, winning 13-12, relying on their defense because their offense couldn't generate anything sustainable.

The strengths for Alabam this year are the passing game and the front seven. Even though Milroe hasn't thrown for a crazy amount of yards, he has been efficient and has made big passes in big moments. Freshman Ryan Williams is arguably a top-five receiver in football right now and leads the team in receiving yards. His deep play threat is unmatched. They also have Kobe Prentice, Germie Bernard, and Kendrick Law, guys who can stretch the field and also be threats in the intermediate passing game. And it's worth noting that Milroe has stepped up with Deboer as his head coach, doing well in both designed run and drop-back situations.

Georgia's strengths this year are their secondary and their run game. Carson Beck is not performing like he did last year. The offense has been stagnant at moments, especially against Kentucky. But with Trevor Etienne finally getting some game time, the rushing attack has started to pick up. The offensive line is strong, as always, and they have created holes for the backs to get through. They need to rely more on the run game against Alabam to open up play-action and read-option opportunities for Beck. The defense has been weird for the Bulldogs this year. Even though on paper their front seven should be dominant, they haven't been. Mykel Williams has been great, but the rest of the linemen and outside linebackers haven't been exceptional - based on Georgia's standards. But their secondary is lights out. Malaki Starks and Julian Humphrey are the two main guys for that unit and they have dominated every game this year. Starks at free safety have made it virtually impossible for teams to find deep shots over the slot and seam. It will be interesting to see how their defense deals with Ryan Williams's vertical threat.

The game being in Tuscaloosa is massively important for the Tide. Alabama is 1-3 versus Georgia with Nick Saban, and 1-5 versus Kirby Smart in general, meaning they have his and the Bulldogs number. Deboer seems to have maintained the prominence of Alabama's football program, considering how big of a task it was and will be for him to fill Nick Saban's shoes. Alabama has looked much better and more consistent this year, so The Take predicts them to win this game 35-31. Jalen Milroe and Ryan Williams will be the difference makers, and if the front seven can get to Beck, then the Tide will get the job done.