Weather permitting, the nation will be tuned in to watch Georgia pay another visit to Tuscaloosa for a date with Alabama on Saturday night, with the usual SEC title and College Football Playoff implications on the line.
Many are struggling to predict the victor in this top-10 battle, as both the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide have looked largely dominant to begin the 2026 campaign.
ESPN’s Greg McElroy was similar in that regard when he went in-depth to break down the latest edition in this series, as he believes the final score will feature a narrow margin of victory.
“I’m taking the Crimson Tide to win, 31-28,” McElroy said during an episode of his ‘Always College Football’ production. “On paper, Georgia has the much better defense…but right now they haven’t seen anything quite like anything Alabama has offensively. And Keelon Russell is playing the best football of anybody on the entire field.”
And according to the former Crimson Tide signal-caller, there are six key elements to the game that will determine the victor:
- Can Georgia run the ball on a front that hasn’t let anybody?
- Can Georgia’s quick game find Alabama’s big-play leak?
- Can Russell hold it long enough to hit deep – and survive?
- Does Alabama need a running game – or just the rumor of one?
- Who settles for 3?
- Can Alabama take the ball from a QB who doesn’t give it up?
“I think Georgia brings the better defense into Bryant-Denny on Saturday night, but I think Alabama has the edge just about everywhere else,” McElroy concluded.
Parker is currently the sports editor for Gulf Coast Media in Foley, Alabama. He's a graduate from Mizzou who has experience covering the Tiger football and basketball beats for SB Nation, and he's worked for a variety of sports news outlets in the past.
