Week Five AP Poll: Georgia-Alabama set for top-5 showdown
Georgia might’ve been on a bye week this Saturday but action around the College Football world didn’t stop. That means a new look at the AP Poll on Sunday.
After being idle, Georgia remains in its spot at No. 2 behind top-ranked Texas and ahead of Ohio State. UGA’s opponent for this coming week, Alabama, was also off and holds in its spot at No. 4, setting up a top-5 showdown between the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa.
All time, Alabama leads the series 43-26-4, one of the few schools that can claim an advantage over Georgia. The results have leaned that way recently too with Kirby Smart having coached against his former squad six times since coming back to Athens. Smart is 1-5 with his lone win coming in the 2022 National Championship Game, redeeming an SEC Championship Game loss that prevented a perfect season. Of course those six matchups have seen Nick Saban on the sideline leading the Crimson Tide into battle. It’s a new era in Tuscaloosa with Kalen DeBoer at the helm, who will coach his first SEC contest when UGA comes to town.
Alabama won’t be the only ranked opponent Georgia faces this season. Ole Miss and Tennessee, who the Bulldogs play in back-to-back weeks in November, also find themselves in the top-10, each winning in convincing fashion on Saturday. The Rebels took care of business against Georgia Southern 52-13 while the Volunteers took to Norman, Oklahoma and handed the Sooners a loss in their first-ever SEC game. Voters have Tennessee at No. 5 and Ole Miss No. 6.
Georgia also has one win over a ranked opponent already. Since the Bulldogs beat Clemson 34-3 in the opener on August 31st the Tigers have been on a tear. Their last two games have seen Clemson score 66 and 59 against Appalachian State and NC State respectively. Dabo Swinney’s squad led 45-7 at the break over the Wolfpack on Saturday on their way to a 59-35 win. Clemson comes in at No. 17, up from No. 21 last week.
Kickoff time for Georgia-Alabama is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday under the lights of Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa. ESPN’s College GameDay will be in town to get the day going early before ABC has coverage of the game with Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Holly Rowe on the call. The Bulldogs opened as 3.5-point favorites over the Crimson Tide with spreads ranging anywhere between 3.5 and 1.5, all in favor of UGA, according to Vegas Insider.
