Paul Finebaum, Greg McElroy reveal keys to victory in Alabama vs. Georgia showdown

The stage is set for one of the biggest college football regular season games of the year this weekend. As No. 2 ranked Georgia hits the road to take on No. 4 Alabama in a showdown featuring two programs who have represented the gold standard of the sport in recent history.

Saturday’s matchup has all the makings of an instant classic and will be must-see TV for college football fans, but what will be the biggest key to a win for the Bulldogs or the Crimson Tide? That’s exactly what ESPN host Mike Greenberg asked college football analysts Greg McElroy and Paul Finebaum Wednesday morning on Get Up.

“In a game that’s expected to be highly emotional Greeny, it’s big plays,” McElroy said. “And you can look at red zone efficiency, and turnovers, and pressure, and sack rate, to me, it’s big plays. That’s always the most important thing when you look at a game like this, and you look at both teams, questionable secondaries.”

Both Alabama and Georgia are known for their pedigree on the defensive side of the ball, year after year sending defensive backs to the NFL. But sending players to the NFL also means replacing them with new players, many of which will be playing in the biggest game of their careers this Saturday.

“Alabama has 12 guys listed on their two deep or three deep in their secondary, nine of those 12 are either freshmen or transfers. So they have never played in a game like this for the Crimson Tide. And on the other side, Georgia is replacing three NFL draft picks in the back end, so they’re a little bit untested, and both these offenses have big play potential,” McElroy explained.

Deficiencies in the secondary means opportunities for both offenses to generate big plays. Which Alabama has been prolific at creating this season thanks to dynamic players like quarterback Jalen Milroe, wide receiver Ryan Williams, and running back Jam Miller. Making a strong start crucial for the Bulldogs in Bryant-Denny Stadium.

“I think it comes down to how Georgia begins the game, this is a program that has struggled in the first half,” Finebaum said. “Even against Clemson, a game they dominated Greeny, they were ineffective in the first half with barely a lead. They had the same problem a couple weeks later against Kentucky, and Carson Beck just seemed a little off. More than a little off in the game against Kentucky. And some of the problems are up front, he lost one of his top offensive linemen in [Tate] Ratledge.”

Outside of Georgia’s dominant win over FCS Tennessee-State, the Bulldogs are yet to score a first half touchdown with just nine first half points this season. As they’ll look to get off to a hot start and limit the explosive plays of the Crimson Tide this Saturday in a matchup kicking off at 7:30 p.m. ET airing on ABC and streaming on Fubo.