What better way to usher in the holiday season and post season college football than a Southeastern Conference showdown between top ranked Georgia and western division rival Alabama? The dawgs and tide are locked to face off Saturday December 2nd in Atlanta for SEC supremacy and most likely the spot in the playoffs for the conference. This offers to be another battle between two teams who are comfortable at the top of the football world.
Georgia has wrapped up SEC play with their victory this past weekend in Knoxville and will face upset minded in state rival Georgia Tech before turning their focus to Alabama. With their win, Georgia, for the third year in a row has gone undefeated in league play making them the first team in history to go undefeated for 3 consecutive seasons. Georgia looks to continue building their resume and finding success against Alabama to bring home the conference title once again this season.
Carson Beck had another outstanding weekend with his supporting cast. Dillion Bell had a breakout game showing off his versatility as a running threat and passing option. Georgia was without Ladd McConkey (ankle) and lost offensive lineman Tate Ratledge (knee) during the game, but no update was available as of this writing for his status going forward.
Alabama took time out of their busy schedule to rough up and give a decent pay day to Chattanooga this past weekend and step back into league play versus a reeling Auburn squad who took one of the most devastating losses of the weekend, before beginning their prep for the dawgs.
Alabama has been coming on strong in the back half of this season after a very rocky start out of the gates. The tide found their quarterback in Jalen Milroe flanked by receivers Jermaine Burton, Kendrick Law, and Jalen Hale notably, additionally anchored in the backfield by Jase McClellan and Roydell Williams.
The last time we saw these two teams squared of it was for all the marbles of the 2022 season. The game was a four round heavyweight fight that trudged through three quarters only being 13-9. A fourth quarter 20-point explosion from the dawgs and a game sealing interception for touchdown dagger proved to be the difference as the dawgs defeated the tide for their first College Football National Title since 1980 and their third in school history.
Expect the same from these two power houses this time around as well. Both teams have strengths and weaknesses that each can focus and capitalize on. I would expect this game to come down to one mistake or whoever has the ball last with an opportunity to score, no blowout calls from my seat here as I see it.
Both offenses have weapons they can utilize with quarterbacks really finding their legs and hitting their full stride. Brock Bowers can be the most obvious difference maker for Georgia but will a host of running backs producing and other receivers being available he can not be the only focus. The tides Milroe can be a real difference maker when he gets on the run and is ready to do so at any given moment. His receivers are slick and able to get free in some of the most pressing coverages they have seen this season, and their chemistry has really been clicking. Running backs McClellan and Williams both bring a good shared production to defend against as well.
Defensively, we have seen the young Dawgs step in to their own over this second half of the season and filling gaps where injuries have occurred have been key, obviously without Jamon Dumas-Johnson was a hit to the defense but true freshman CJ Allen and Raylen Wilson have stepped up in his absence to secure the middle second level. The tide will rely on veterans Kool-Aid McKinstry and Dallas Turner to anchor their defense against the versatile Georgia offense. Alabama’s defense although suspect in games but overall improving over the year since their lone loss to Texas, imposing their dominance on teams to get the ball back to their offensive playmakers.
For the money players out there, the opening line for the game at two weeks out has Georgia as the 3.5-point favorite, but I am sure that will change as we draw closer to the weekend.
Keep it locked here at Sectator Media for more college football and Georgia Bulldogs coverage as we march to the end of the regular season and kickoff the postseason. As for watching the game, it will mark the final SEC on CBS game to air as ESPN and ABC take over broadcasting rights to all SEC games starting in 2024.
Kickoff is set for 4:00PM Eastern at the Mercedez-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday, December 2nd, 2023.
As always, Go Dawgs!
