Georgia is certainly no stranger to big football games, so when longtime Sports Information Director Claude Felton says that national media interest in Saturday’s showdown between visiting Alabama and the undefeated and eighth-ranked Bulldogs ranks among the highest ever, you’re sure to take notice.

More than 600 credentialed media will be on hand at Sanford Stadium for the much-anticipated SEC showdown, including writers, photographers, CBS personnel, NFL scouts and various bowl representatives, according to the website DawgsNation.com.

Felton said that there are no official records that keep track of how many credentials are issued for each game but estimated that interest in this week’s nationally televised game ranks among the school’s “top two or three” along with the 2008 game against Alabama and the 2013 contest against LSU.

Future NFL talent will be all over the field, but here are five players poised to make a difference in the game’s outcome.

1. Georgia RB Nick Chubb: The sophomore Heisman Trophy candidate ranks second in the SEC and sixth nationally with an average of 149.8 yards rushing per game. A dazzling blend of power and speed, Chubb has eclipsed the 100-yard rushing plateau for 12 consecutive games and needs one more similar effort to surpass Herschel Walker’s school record of 12 (Walker did it in 13, including a bowl, but bowl game stats weren’t accounted for back then). Chubb will face his stiffest test yet against a physical Crimson Tide defense that plays the run as good as anybody. Alabama hasn’t allowed an opposing back to rush for at least 100 yards in a regular season game since Auburn’s Tre Mason went for 164 yards on Nov. 31, 2013.
2. Georgia QB Greyson Lambert: The Virginia graduate transfer has been spectacular as of late, having completed a school-record 22 consecutive passes from the end of the South Carolina game to the beginning of the Southern contest. But doing it against a team the caliber of Alabama is another story entirely. Lambert paces the SEC and ranks second nationally in completion percentage (76.5 percent) but will need to stay poised to make plays against an aggressive Alabama defense that is likely to bring a lot of pressure. Lambert doesn’t figure to have a lot of open spaces to throw, so it will be imperative that he consistently hits his spots against tight coverage.
3. Georgia WR/KR/PR Isaiah McKenzie: The speedy sophomore better known as “The Human Joystick” is the SEC’s active leader with three career punt returns for a touchdown, including a career-long 77-yarder he took back to the house for a score against Vanderbilt earlier this season. McKenzie is a big-game player and his special teams play could be the difference in a game that promises to be physical and low-scoring. McKenzie, who is averaging 14.5 yards per punt return and 10.5 per kickoff return, is also a home run threat every time he catches the ball as a receiver.
4. Alabama RB Derrick Henry: The junior tailback has shouldered the load for the Crimson Tide offense on his broad 6-foot-3, 242-pound frame. A bruising runner capable of running over defenders as well as past them, Henry currently ranks fourth nationally with eight rushing touchdowns and fourth in the SEC in rushing yards with 422. He’s scored at least one touchdown in each of the last nine games, and he’s averaging 105.5 rushing yards per game this season while sharing carries with senior Kenyan Drake.
5. Alabama QB Jake Coker: The Florida State transfer has looked shaky for much of the season, throwing four interceptions over his last three games while completing just 55.3 percent (68 of 123) of his passes. Like Lambert, Coker will see a lot of pressure and will have to consistently make plays with his arm to give his team a chance to win.