No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 4 Alabama football: Score, live updates
🔥 Georgia-Alabama nearing kickoff
It’s almost time for arguably the regular season game of the year.
The last six meetings between Georgia and Alabama have either been in the SEC championship or national championship.
Both programs enter the SEC showdown differently than ever before due to the retirement of coach Nick Saban in February. Alabama prepares for its biggest test yet, and gets a glimpse at life without Saban, who coached in Tuscaloosa for 17 seasons.
The Bulldogs, the 2021 and 2022 national champions, flex a 45-2 record since 2021 — both losses coming to Alabama. Now that Saban is out of the picture, does Georgia make it over the regular-season hump?
The latest edition of Georgia-Alabama is going to be A MOVIE 🍿
— ESPN (@espn)
👀 Donald Trump to attend Georgia-Alabama game
Former President Donald Trump will be in attendance for the Georgia-Alabama game, according to multiple reports.
Saturday will mark Trump’s second trip to an Alabama football game at Bryant-Denny Stadium. He attended the Crimson Tide’s contest against LSU in 2019 and the 2018 national championship between Alabama and Georgia in Atlanta.
With both Trump and ESPN’s College GameDay atop the list of high-profile names attending the game, the University of Alabama has stated that increased security will be in place and suggests fans to arrive early.
Trump, the current GOP nominee, will be hosted by U.S. Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) and her husband.
Kalen DeBoer is asked about former president Donald Trump attending this weekend's game between Alabama and Georgia in Tuscaloosa:
— Alabama Crimson Tide | AL.com (@aldotcomTide)
🍿 Terry Saban named College GameDay Guest Picker
You can take Nick Saban out of Alabama football, but you can’t take Alabama football out of Nick Saban.
Well, sort of.
ESPN’s College Gameday announced on X on Friday afternoon that former Alabama head coach Nick Saban’s wife, Terry Saban, also known as "Ms. Terry," will be the celebrity guest picker for the Week 5 show. The program will be taking place in Tuscaloosa ahead of Georiga and Alabama's primetime matchup.
In the announcement, Terry Saban asked Crimson Tide fans to come to Denny Chimes tower on Saturday morning and added that she's going to beat her husband in predictions.
Nick Saban joined the College GameDay crew in February after he retired in January.
The show will air from 9 a.m. ET to 12 p.m. ET.
This weekend in Tuscaloosa we are so excited to have the one and only Ms. Terry as our guest picker! 🤩
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay)
👀 Storylines to follow
74th meeting. Deep-seated rivalry. Top-5 matchup. There's a lot to be excited about in regards the Georgia and Alabama primetime battle.
With so many angles to take, here are three storylines to follow that make Saturday's affair even more interesting:
Welcome to SEC football, Kalen DeBoer
Coach DeBoer’s first rodeo in Tuscaloosa hasn’t faced many bumps in the road, as Alabama has beaten their first three opponents by an average of over 40 points per contest.
That all changes on Saturday with Georgia coming to town in one of college football’s most-anticipated matchups of the regular season. Drenched in history, the rivalry journeys far beyond the lines, as both programs have connections to the other side. Wherever the game has been played, a high-scoring affair that produces numerous viral snapshots is guaranteed.
DeBoer isn’t new to the big stage, taking Washington to the national title game last season, but Georgia-Alabama is a different animal. There’s no better, yet difficult, way to start conference play for the head coach.
As Nick Saban’s successor, it will be interesting to see how DeBoer fares in the rivalry game.
Performances will play into the Heisman race
As both quarterbacks prepare to face a top defense, what can a top-tier performance do to their Heisman chances? Carson Beck and Jalen Milroe are hoping to remain firmly in the mix among other top contenders.
Although a win is the top priority, a strong showing could give them a leg up on another, and more importantly, on the remaining field.
Throwin’ DIMES. 🎯
— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL)
Effect on the College Football Playoff
Even though it's only Week Five, a top-5 win for either program provides motivation and moves them one step closer to the SEC title game. Additionally, it builds up their resume for the College Football Playoff.
The Bulldogs have three currently ranked teams remaining on their regular season schedule, and they are all currently in the top 10: No. 1 Texas (Oct. 19), No. 6 Ole Miss (Nov. 16) and No. 5 Tennessee (Nov. 23).
The Crimson Tides's schedule includes four more ranked opponents after Georgia, with three of them being back-to-back-to-back: No. 5 Tennessee (Oct. 19), No. 11 Missouri (Oct. 26), No. 14 LSU (Nov. 9) and No. 21 Oklahoma (Nov. 23).
The CFP’s 12-team expansion allows one-loss teams to still build a strong argument for a spot. Two losses, though, make that case much harder to argue.
⚔️ Series history between the Bulldogs and Tide
Saturday’s contest marks the 74th meeting between Georgia and Alabama, with the Crimson Tide leading the series 43-26-4 dating back to 1895.
Arguably college football's most titanic clash 😤 tells the tale of the Dawgs & Tide 🐶🐘 |
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork)
Alabama has dominated the series in recent memory, winning eight of the last 12 matchups. The Bulldogs have won just one game since 2008.
Here’s a look back at two of the biggest games in the last 10 years:
- Jan. 10, 2022: Georgia 33, Alabama 18 (CFP National Championship Game)
A defensive struggle in the first half, neither college football giant could gain leverage over the other. And it wasn’t the average rivalry matchup, pride was at stake — Georgia was searching for its first national title in over 40 years while Alabama sought its eighth-straight win against the Bulldogs.
Out of the break, though, Georgia broke the game wide open. They outscored the Crimson Tide 27-9 behind walk-on quarterback Stetson Bennett’s 224 passing yards and two touchdown performance.
- Dec. 1, 2018: Alabama 35, Georgia 28 (SEC Championship Game)
There isn’t a die-hard Alabama football fan that doesn’t remember this game.
Down 13-0 at halftime, Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban made a bold move at halftime — taking out starting quarterback Jalen Hurts for freshman Tua Tagovailoa.
But the decision paid off. Tagovailoa would go on to throw for 166 yards and three touchdowns, including the 41-yard game-winning pass to wide receiver Devonta Smith. Alabama won its fifth national title and Tagovailoa’s pass cemented him in the Crimson Tide’s history books.
On this day 6 years ago, Tua Tagovailoa entered the national championship after halftime with Alabama trailing Georgia 13-0.
— 247Sports (@247Sports)
He helped the Crimson Tide complete a comeback victory with this walk-off touchdown strike to Devonta Smith in OT 🏆
📝 Game preview
Arguably the regular season game of the year, Georgia and Alabama meet less than 12 months after their matchup in the SEC Championship where Alabama won 27-24. On top of snapping the Bulldogs' 29 straight conference victory streak, an SEC record, the win catapulted the Crimson Tide into the College Football Playoff and pushed Georgia out.
Saturday marks the first regular season meeting between both teams since 2020. And with seven ranked opponents combined left on their schedules, a win could eventually become the determining factor of whether each team makes it into the CFP.
Seasons so far
- 🐶 Georgia
- Dominated in season-opener against then-No. 14 Clemson 34-3, but struggled offensively against unranked Kentucky, winning 13-12
- Following the win against Kentucky, sophomore linebacker Raylen Wilson was named Co-SEC Defensive Player of the Week; junior defensive lineman Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins was named Co-Defensive Line Player of the Week
- The Bulldogs' defense has been lights out in their first three contests, ranking first pass yards per game allowed (91.3), third in total yards per game allowed (202.0) and fourth in points per game allowed (6.0).
- Coach Kirby Smart said that he’s "hopeful" defensive end Mykel Williams, a projected top pick in the 2025 NFL draft, is ready to go after injuring his left ankle against Clemson
- 🔴⚪️ Alabama
- Quarterback Jalen Milroe holds the fourth-best passer rating in the nation at 213.4
- Alabama’s offensive line was chosen as the Outland Trophy Players of the Week following the team’s strong performance against Wisconsin in Week 3
- 17-year-old phenom wideout Ryan Williams leads the Crimson Tide in receiving yards with 285 yards on 10 receptions and four touchdowns.
🏈 AP Top 25 Poll rankings after Week 4
In the latest AP Top 25 Poll rankings, much hasn’t changed for either team — Alabama has stayed stagnant each week while Georgia has remained at or close to the top. The Bulldogs and the Crimson Tide are in bold.
| Rank | School | Points | Record | Prev |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas (44) | 1527 | 4-0 | 1 |
| 2 | Georgia (13) | 1482 | 3-0 | 2 |
| 3 | Ohio State (5) | 1432 | 3-0 | 3 |
| 4 | Alabama | 1328 | 3-0 | 4 |
| 5 | Tennessee | 1283 | 4-0 | 6 |
| 6 | Ole Miss | 1269 | 4-0 | 5 |
| 7 | Miami (FL) | 1139 | 4-0 | 8 |
| 8 | Oregon | 1073 | 3-0 | 9 |
| 9 | Penn State | 1051 | 3-0 | 10 |
| 10 | Utah | 1037 | 4-0 | 12 |
| 11 | Missouri | 1009 | 4-0 | 7 |
| 12 | Michigan | 805 | 3-1 | 18 |
| 13 | Southern Cal | 690 | 2-1 | 11 |
| 14 | LSU | 637 | 3-1 | 16 |
| 15 | Louisville | 553 | 3-0 | 19 |
| 16 | Notre Dame | 546 | 3-1 | 17 |
| 17 | Clemson | 540 | 2-1 | 21 |
| 18 | Iowa State | 530 | 3-0 | 20 |
| 19 | Illinois | 458 | 4-0 | 24 |
| 20 | Oklahoma State | 388 | 3-1 | 14 |
| 21 | Oklahoma | 375 | 3-1 | 15 |
| 22 | BYU | 327 | 4-0 | NR |
| 23 | Kansas State | 168 | 3-1 | 13 |
| 24 | Texas A&M | 77 | 3-1 | 25 |
| 25 | Boise State | 69 | 2-1 | NR |
📺 How to watch Georgia at Alabama
Quarterbacks Georgia's Carson Beck (left) and Alabama's Jalen Milroe (right) ready to lead their teams in top-5 ranked matchup
- 🗓️ Date: Saturday, Sept. 28
- ⏰ Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
- 📺 TV: ABC
- 💻 Stream:
- 📍 Location: Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, AL