Alabama @ Georgia preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 1, 2012 ) Alabama 32, Georgia 28

Georgia head coach Mark Richt has tried all week to quell the buildup, but there is no denying plenty is on the line when his sixth-ranked Bulldogs host No. 13 Alabama on Saturday in an early-season showdown full of SEC and playoff implications. The Bulldogs are soaring after opening the season with four resounding victories but face their first true test against the Crimson Tide, the SEC’s gold standard who broke Georgia’s hearts when the two schools last met, in the 2012 SEC championship game.

The Bulldogs, who have not won a national championship since 1980, fell five yards shy of beating the Crimson Tide for the conference title and a berth in the BCS title game three years ago. Georgia features a potent offensive attack, fronted by running back Nick Chubb (fifth nationally in rushing) and quarterback Greyson Lambert (second nationally in completion percentage). Alabama, which saw its quest for a perfect season snuffed in a 43-37 loss to fifth-ranked Ole Miss on Sept. 19, finally has settled on Jake Coker at quarterback to provide much needed stability to the Crimson Tide offense. Alabama will provide the biggest challenge Georgia’s rushing game has faced this season, the Crimson Tide ranking fourth nationally by holding opponents to 56.8 rushing yards per contest.

TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Georgia, -2

ABOUT ALABAMA (3-1, 0-1 SEC): Coker threw an interception for the third straight game in last week’s 34-0 shutout of ULM, but completed 17-of-31 passes for three touchdowns after splitting duty with Cooper Bateman in the first three games. The Crimson Tide’s offense has battled inconsistency since a crisp performance in the season-opening victory over Wisconsin, and a big day from running back Derrick Henry (422 yards rushing, 6.3 yards per carry) will be critical Saturday. So, too, will be the play of Alabama’s defensive front seven, considered one of the best units in the nation.

ABOUT GEORGIA (4-0, 2-0 SEC): Lambert has completed 33 of his past 35 passes for 476 yards and five touchdowns in his past two games, directing a Bulldogs offense scoring 45.5 points per contest (11th nationally). Chubb is a legitimate Heisman candidate who enters Saturday having rushed for 100-plus yards in 12 consecutive contests, and has combined with Sony Michel for 10 rushing scores. The Bulldogs have allowed 13.5 points per game and will need to keep Henry and Coker in check in order to pull off one of their biggest victories in recent history.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Alabama enters the contest as an underdog, snapping a 72-game streak of being favored dating back to the 2009 SEC championship game.

2. Georgia WR/KR Isaiah McKenzie, who has returned four kicks for touchdowns in his career, is expected to play after a woman declined to press charges following an incident at a restaurant Monday.

3. Alabama K Adam Griffith missed his first four field-goal attempts this season, but has converted his last three – hitting from 35 and 40 yards last week.

PREDICTION: Georgia 24, Alabama 23