By Tyler Everett

Copyright newsweek

If Saturday night’s battle between No. 17 Alabama and No. 5 Georgia is anything like the last meeting between these teams, college football fans are in for a treat on Saturday night.A year ago, the late September matchup between the perenially stout Bama and UGA defenses turned into a back-and-forth shootout between Jalen Milroe and Carson Beck.The Crimson Tide led that one by as many as 18 points at one point, but ended up needing a late touchdown catch by then-freshman Ryan Williams (who made one of the plays of the year) and a last-second pick to hold on for a 41-34 win.How To Watch Alabama vs. Georgia
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. EDT

Alabama vs. Georgia Odds: Spread, ML

+2.5 (-108)
+2.5 (-110)

-2.5 (-112)
-2.5 (-110)

53.5 (o-110; u-110)
53.5 (o-115; u-105)
53.5 (o-110; u-110)

Alabama vs. Georgia Betting News, AnalysisBama has already played Florida State and Wisconsin, and Georgia has a thrilling road win over Tennessee on its resume. Still, this will be easily the toughest test of Alabama QB Ty Simpson’s career.Georgia’s Gunner Stockton has seen more than his fair share of great defenses, but Alabama is a formidable test, it not necessarily the most difficult one Stockton has ever encountered.Between his relief appearance in last year’s SEC title game vs. Texas, his CFP quarterfinal start vs. Notre Dame and his trip to Knoxville in Week 3, Stockton has quickly seen a ton of excellent opposing defenses.Simpson, on the other hand, is making just his fourth career start. After a tough debut in a 31-17 loss to FSU back in Week 1, he was lights-out the last two weeks, albeit against UL Monroe and a Wisconsin team that lost 27-10 to Maryland in Week 4.Alabama Crimson Tide Futures Odds, Betting Outlook
SEC winner odds (DK): +475 (third-shortest)
National title winner odds (FD): +1000 (sixth-shortest)
Odds to make CFP (FD): Yes -105; No -115
Alabama is still seen by oddsmakers as the top threat to betting favorites Texas and Georgia. Tonight’s game in Athens will either cement the Tide as a legit SEC contender in Year 2 under Kalen DeBoer, or it will ramp up the scrutiny on Nick Saban’s successor after he went 5-3 in the SEC in his first year in Tuscaloosa.Georgia Bulldogs Futures Odds, Betting News
SEC winner odds (DK): +320 (second-shortest)
National title winner odds (FD): +800 (fourth-shortest)
Odds to make CFP (FD): Yes -260; No +205
Entering Week 5, Georgia’s odds to repeat as SEC champs are slightly longer than Texas’s, and only Ohio State, Penn State and Oregon enter this weekend with shorter national championship odds than the Dawgs.UGA looks like an improved offensive team this fall after hanging 44 points on Tennessee in an overtime win. Vols QB Joey Aguilar’s success against this team did set off some red flags about the UGA secondary, though.Best Alabama vs. Georgia Player Prop BetsFormer USC Trojan Zachariah Branch is my favorite player to target on the player props front in this game. He is a speedy threat to take underneath passes to the house, and he has a great chance to emerge as Stockton’s best friend as the SEC schedule heats up (if he’s not already).His 11 catches for 181 yards and two touchdowns this year include scores vs. Marshall in the season opener and Tennessee a couple of weeks ago. Whether he’s able to get loose for any explosive plays today or not, he should be targeted early and often.Alabama WR Germie Bernard, like Branch, is a dangerous after-the-catch threat. The senior was an underrated piece of the Washington offense that reached the national title game, and he followed DeBoer to Tuscaloosa last offseason. He was held to just 25 yards on five catches vs. Georgia a year ago, but he’s started this season strong, with eight catches for 146 yards vs. the Seminoles in the season opener.His numbers the last two weeks were modest (7 total catches for 129 yards vs. ULM and Wisconsin), but he did find the end zone three times in those games.Expect DeBoer and Bama OC Ryan Grubb, who both coached Bernard at Washington in ’23, to scheme up some easy touches for the Tide’s leading receiver. He’s only cashed this prop once in three games this season, but that’s largely because two of those contests were not competitive. Down the stretch in ’24, Bernard had at least four catches in each of Bama’s last four games.As the hot hand in the red zone in the Tide’s last two games (two TDs vs. ULM, one vs. Wisconsin), Bernard also offers a ton of value on the anytime touchdown market.Best prop bets for Alabama vs. Georgia:
UGA WR Zachariah Branch 5+ receptions (+146 at FD) — 0.5 units
Alabama WR Germie Bernard 5+ receptions (+106 at FD) — 1 unit
G. Bernard ATTD (+145 at FD) — 0.5 units
Alabama vs. Georgia Prediction, Best BetsGiven the history between these two rivals and how wild last year’s game ended up being, I recommend either staying away from the spread or going chalk and taking Georgia at home.Simpson has shown flashes for the Tide, but beating Georgia in Athens is a big ask, to say the least, especially for a quarterback who remains unproven. Related: Georgia is on a 33-game home winning streak that dates back to October of 2019.Alabama-Georgia Best BetGetting a chance to take the Dawgs by a field goal at a venue where they have beaten 20 straight SEC opponents is impossible to resist. Remember, Georgia won all but one of its home games in 2024 by at least 10 points (with an eight-overtime battle with rival Georgia Tech being the only exception). In 2023, its closest home win came by nine points.So yeah, I’m going with the obvious play in this contest between two of the top programs in the country.
Georgia -2 (-110 at bet365) — 1 unit
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