Kalen DeBoer left a great situation at Washington for games like this. All eyes will be on Tuscaloosa this weekend as DeBoer's No. 4 Crimson Tide face their biggest test of the young 2024 season when Kirby Smart's No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs roll into town. From the moment DeBoer agreed to replace the legendary Nick Saban atop the Alabama program, this game loomed as the early litmus test.
Smart has built a monster in Athens, winning two of the last three national championships and emerging as the clear face of the sport since Saban and Michigan's Jim Harbaugh exited stage left. Only one man has truly had an edge over him the last decade: Saban. The former Alabama head coach was 5-1 against his protege, including a win that kept the Bulldogs out of the College Football Playoff last season with a win in the SEC Championship.
That's the standard DeBoer assumed walked into when he accepted the job. The 49-year-old coach has done everything right so far, from keeping superstar freshman Ryan Williams on board to a 3-0 start in the 2024 season. He's said all the right things about replacing Saban, too.
This weekend we'll learn how DeBoer truly handles the pressure of the job and where Alabama stacks up in what appears to be a top-heavy SEC.
Alabama vs. Georgia: Need to know
QB battle key: Carson Beck is the projected No. 1 overall pick in CBS Sports' most recent NFL mock drafts, but he's coming off 15 of 24 for 160 passing yards performance in a nail-biting 13-12 win over Kentucky two weeks ago. Did Georgia looks past a Wildcats group that got blown out a week earlier against South Carolina? Will the narrow win wake the Bulldogs up? Or is the lack of proven offensive weapons around Beck a bigger concern than expected headed into this season? There's a lot of pressure on Beck to deliver this weekend. On the other side, Alabama QB Jalen Milroe has a big opportunity against the best defense he's faced so far this season. Milroe has made it look easy in wins over Western Kentucky, South Florida and Wisconsin, but he will almost certainly have to use his legs more against the Bulldogs to keep the offense humming. Don't be surprised to see Milroe try to connect with star freshman Ryan Williams early.
Can Alabama secondary hold up? Entering the season, Alabama's biggest question mark resided in the defensive secondary. The Tide lost two stud cornerbacks (Terrion Arnold, Kool-Aid McKinstry), a star free safety (Caleb Downs) and a veteran strong safety (Jaylen Key). Outside of Malachi Moore, there just wasn't much proven talent coming back for Alabama this season. Thus far, a young group that includes former five-stars Zabien Brown and Jaylen Mbawke and transfers Domani Jackson (USC) and Keon Sabb (Michigan) has held up well. But there have been moments -- especially against South Florida -- where the secondary looked vulnerable, but the opponent wasn't able to capitalize. Beck is by far the best quarterback Alabama has faced this season and is much more likely to make Alabama pay if those mishaps pop up on Saturday night. Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack will need to bring his best game plan yet.
First meeting: Kalen DeBoer and Kirby Smart have never faced off before -- not even as assistant coaches -- during their successful careers. Part of that can be attributed to DeBoer coming up through programs like NAIA Sioux Falls and FCS Southern Illinois. The bad news for DeBoer is Smart is incredibly successful his first time facing a new head coach. In fact, since taking over the Georgia program in 2016, he's a perfect 21-0 record against first-year head coaches.
How to watch Alabama vs. Georgia live
Date: Saturday, Sept. 28 | Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Sanford Stadium -- Athens, Georgia
TV: ABC | Live stream: fubo (Try for free)
Alabama vs. Georgia prediction, picks
There are storylines galore with this game but perhaps most interesting will be seeing how real both these teams are. Georgia looked very wobbly against Kentucky while Alabama hasn't played anyone yet. Both should be SEC Championship and CFP contenders, but we'll know a lot more after Saturday night. Bryant-Denny Stadium should be rocking, but the Bulldogs still have the slightest of edges here. A slim victory against Kentucky plus a bye week gave Kirby Smart plenty of time to hammer the message home with his team – and build a successful game plan – that proves the difference here. Pick: Georgia (-2)
SportsLine's proven computer model is calling for 10 outright upsets in Week 5 of college football. Visit SportsLine now to see them all, plus get spread picks from the model that simulates each game 10,000 times.
