After a paltry 13-12 win over Kentucky in which they only had a 44% win expectation based on the way the game played, Georgia is coming off a bye week. The Wildcats gained 23 first downs to Georgia’s 12 and outgained the Bulldogs 170 to 102 yards. UK forced Georgia into nine penalties for 85 yards, while the Wildcats themselves committed just four penalties for 23 yards and a costly fumble. Before that hiccup, UGA defeated a strong Clemson team 34-3 in its opening game and fields a 3-man defense that ranks No. 1 nationally in IsoPPP and Marginal Explosiveness. While the offense is still strong, it’s not hitting home runs as quickly as it did last year after McConkey and Bowers moved on and rank 99th in offensive explosiveness.

The biggest challenge Alabama has faced so far came from a gritty USF team that held the Tide to a 14-13 lead through three quarters before a 28-point fourth-quarter effort by Bama put the game away. New HC Kalen DeBouer just passed his first Power Four test with flying colors, defeating Wisconsin 42-10 with QB Jalen Milroe averaging 10.3 yards per attempt and Alabama outscoring the Badgers by a total of 407 to 290 yards. The Tide field the third-ranked SP+ offense and sixth-ranked defense, but lag behind the competition with a special teams unit that currently ranks 84th according to SP+.

We covered this game in detail in this week’s episode of Bet the EDGE: The College Football Edition.

Listen to this B1G Talk Podcast with Todd Blackledge and Noah Eagle for the most compelling storylines in all of college football, featuring the biggest teams up and coming and the latest rankings!

Game details and how to watch Georgia @ Alabama live on Saturday night

· Date: Saturday, September 28, 2024
· Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
· Location: Bryant-Denny Stadium
· City: Tuscaloosa, Alabama
· TV/Streaming: ABC/ESPN+

Want to check out the other games on the? College football schedule this week? We’ll provide you with all the matchup, venue, game time and TV/streaming information here on NBC Sports so you don’t miss any of the action!

Current Georgia @ Alabama odds – Week 5

The latest odds from Thursday:
· Money line: Georgia -125, Alabama +105
· Spread: Georgia -1.5
· In total: 48.5 points

*Odds courtesy of BetMGM

The market opened at Georgia -4.5/-162 and while BetMGM is currently at -1.5/-125, the line is reading -2 in some places. The game total is down slightly from 49.5 at open to 48.5 at time of publication, and Alabama’s moneyline has dropped from +136 to +105 over the week.

Listen to the Bet the Edge podcast As hosts, Jay Croucher and Drew Dinsick provide listeners with sharp, actionable insights, market analysis and statistical data to help bettors gain more information before placing their bets.

NBC Sports Bet Best Bet

Eric Froton (@CFFroton) likes the visitors in this picture.
“While both teams have looked lethal at times this season, Alabama/USF and Georgia/Kentucky, there are niches that need to be picked equally. In a supposed coin toss situation like the unforgettable 27-24 contest in the SEC Championship, I trust the steady hand of Carson Beck over the explosive potential of Jalen Milroe. Give me Georgia -115 moneyline.”

From the Trading Desk at BetMGM Courtesy of John Ewing: National Championship

Line movement (last week to now)
· Texas +550 to +500
· Alabama +900 to +800
· Tennessee +1600 to +1200

Highest ticket percentage
· Ohio State 16.0%
Texas 11.3%
· Georgia 11.3%

Highest grip %
· Ohio State 17.9%
· Georgia 16.1%
Miami 10.7%

Largest Liabilities
· Tennessee
· Ohio State
·Miami

Quarterback matchup for Georgia @ Alabama

· Georgia: Carson Beck entered the 2024 season as the Heisman favorite after completing 72% of his passes for 9.2 yards per attempt and 3,941 passing yards. Beck’s passing performance was the highest in a season among returning signal callers, he was sacked on just 2% of his pass attempts since 2023 and just once in the fourth quarter, both of which are the third-best marks in the FBS. An efficient distributor, Beck’s average release time of 2.39 seconds on his passes is the lowest among returners. Stetson’s successor Bennett put together a lackluster performance against Kentucky in which he posted the lowest NFL single-game pass percentage (81.9) of his career, so the plan to stifle Beck’s effectiveness was hatched. We’ll see if Alabama can capitalize on the pressure and create nine pressure points like UK did in Week 3.

· Alabama: Dual-threat QB Jalen Milroe didn’t have to throw as often as his Georgia counterpart, uncorking 284 passes compared to Beck’s 418, but his YPA of 10.0 was second nationally behind only Heisman-winning QB Jayden Daniels. Milroe’s career 31-12 big throw-to-turnover ratio shows his legitimate arm talent, in addition to his 687 yards and 18 rushing touchdowns from 2023. The big knock for Milroe is his troubling career 31% pressure-to-turnover percentage -Sack rate, which has dropped slightly to 25% this season. HC Kalen DeBouer has mitigated these issues by running the ball on standard downs at a rate of 70% (11th in FBS), with Milroe only facing 63 dropbacks in three games this season. Despite a perfect 8-0 TD/INT ratio, Milroe ranks just 45th among 133 qualified FBS quarterbacks in PFF passing grade.

Player news and current statistics

· While Georgia RB Trevor Etienne has averaged 6.5 YPC and 4.4 yards after contact in his two games with UGA, his 3.3 yards per touch average on 3rd downs since 2023 is the lowest among SEC running backs in the starting phase, so it will be interesting to see how he is used in this role in the future.

· UGA WR Dominic Lovett has secured 10 red zone receptions since the start of last season, the second-highest mark in the SEC (8th to 4th) behind Missouri superstar WR Luther Burden.

· Alabama is 8-2 ATS when intercepting at least one pass since 2023, tied with Penn State, Tennessee and Arizona for best among P4 programs. They are 6-1 ATS when allowing fewer than three sacks. Last year, however, protection was an issue as the Tide allowed 4+ sacks in seven games.

· Despite having a new coaching staff in Tuscaloosa, Bama is undefeated in one-score games (7-0) since early last year. However, they are 1-6 ATS when converting on less than 50% of their third-down opportunities, which is 10-worst in FBS.

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