SEC Championship Game odds: Opening line released for Alabama vs. Georgia

The opening lines are out for the SEC Championship game and for the first time since 2015, the Alabama Crimson Tide is the underdog in Vegas. Nick Saban’s defending national champs will try to beat the odds with a win over No. 1 Georgia.

After the Bulldogs dominated Georgia Tech and the Crimson Tide struggled versus Auburn, the odds increased in Georgia’s favor. The line for Saturday is -6 Georgia, according to Ceasar’s Sportsbook. The current total for the game is 51 points.

Looking back to when Alabama was last an underdog, Oct. 2015, the Crimson Tide was a one-point dog, also against Georgia. Nick Saban and his squad came up with a dominating 38-10 behind 148 rushing yards from eventual Heisman champ Derrick Henry.

This year may be a different story, however. The Bulldogs have left no questions about their ability to stop even high-powered offenses in their tracks. They’ve posted three shutouts this season and give up an average of 6.9 points per game. Tennessee’s offense was the most successful versus Kirby Smart this season and they still only managed 17 points.

The 2021 SEC Championship Game is at 4 p.m. ET Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021, on CBS.

Alabama wins in 4 overtimes

No. 3 Alabama barely survived Saturday, rallying to beat host Auburn 24-22 in four overtimes.

Alabama has a highly anticipated showdown with No. 1 Georgia in next week’s SEC Championship Game, but for much of the game, it looked as if the Tide would have two losses.

Playing with backup quarterback T.J. Finley, who was hobbled for much of the second half with a sore ankle, the Tigers (6-6, 2-6) used a masterful defensive performance to stymie the Tide (11-1, 7-1). But Alabama rallied with 10 points in the final 8:44, including a TD with 24 seconds left to send the game to overtime.

Both scored TDs in the first OT and made field goals in the second extra period. Both hit their conversion plays in the third OT, and the Tide won it on a pass from Bryce Young to John Metchie in the fourth OT.

Auburn’s pass rush had been spotty in SEC play, but it came with a vengeance Saturday. Young was sacked seven times and harassed seemingly every time he dropped back to pass. But he calmly guided the Tide on a game-tying 12-play, 97-yard drive in the final two minutes that will go down in Iron Bowl lore.

Alabama overcame a second-quarter ejection for targeting to star receiver Jameson Williams and an ankle injury to Brian Robinson to come away with the win in a game where its maligned offensive line was whipped for much of the day.