How and what to watch for No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 2 Alabama

Update 12:30 p.m.: Nick Saban will coach the Crimson Tide against Georgia tonight.

The No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide will host the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs in what might be college football’s biggest regular season game in 2020 on Saturday night.

Alabama might go into this game without head coach Nick Saban, who tested positive for the coronavirus earlier in the week. If he doesn’t go, offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian is projected to be the team’s head coach heading into its biggest game of the year. The offense hasn’t been an issue, scoring 38, 52 and 63 points so far in 2020. It’s the defense for Alabama that is more of a concern, allowing 48 points to the Ole Miss Rebels last Saturday.

Georgia was tested by the Tennessee Volunteers in the first half of its last game on Saturday, but the Bulldogs rallied for a 44-21 victory for their third consecutive double-digit victory in a 3-0 start. A big question mark heading into this massive game will be Stetson Bennett at quarterback. In the offseason, he was probably looked at as Georgia’s No. 4 quarterback, but here we are and he’s going into the biggest football game of his life.

Alabama won the last five games in this matchup, and the Tide won the last game between these two teams 35-28 in the 2018 SEC title game.

Game Time/TV Channel/Streaming

You can watch this game Saturday, October 17th at 8:00 p.m. ET on CBS, or you can stream it via the CBS Sports app with a cable or streaming login.

Point Spread, Totals, Odds, Trends

Point spread: Georgia (+4.5) vs. Alabama
Point Total: Over 57.5 (-114), Under 57.5 (-107)
Money line: Georgia (+145), Alabama (-200)

• Georgia is 7-3 against the spread in its last 10 games.
• The point total went under in 10 of Georgia’s last 12 games.
• The point total went over in five of Alabama’s last six games.
• Alabama is 10-0 straight up in its last 10 home games.

The Best Bet

I’m not too concerned about the lack of Saban on the sideline. His biggest gift as a college football head coach is building and sustaining a culture of dominance. He is still part of practices, and the team won’t be in too much trouble if he misses one day even if that happens to be the biggest game of the year. Alabama’s offense is significantly better than Georgia’s and while the Bulldogs have the better defense, it won’t make up that difference. Alabama bettors are getting an even better number with Saban’s absence, and that’s where we’ll go with the best bet.

Pick: Alabama -4.5

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