As a new responsible head for the Tide, Kalen DeBoer has been putting himself through a relentless test throughout the season. Although he keeps sustaining the battles with a decent overall 3-0 record, the random spree of questions like how he feels about following the footsteps of Saban or how he plans to alter his methods and plans for a better outcome keep popping out of every corner of the nation. The calm and composed 49- year-old could just smirk in return and said he was still taking notes. The upcoming match-up against No. 2 Georgia at Bryant-Denny Stadium this Saturday might come off as his chance to be more specific on these answers, as a win will mean one step ahead of his SEC dream.

A day ahead of a heavyweight Georgia vs Alabama, the tension has been on the rise. The game will surely be a needle mover because of their well-documented history with each other and the juncture of the conference where we are currently standing. However, the biggest spotlight is on the question of whether or not DeBoer can lead his team to nail the first big stage of his career at Alabama as a 2-point home underdog against the Bulldogs. Analyzing the odds, veteran CFB pundit Josh Pate said, ”Forget about the whole “is there more pressure on Kirby than DeBoer” thing. There’s more pressure on Georgia here. Georgia’s got three games, two of them on the road, where they’ll either be the underdog or a single-digit favorite. Bama’s got two of those games remaining. And if Bama wins this, they’ve got some wiggle room.” 

Most of the media picked up Georgia as the heavy favorite to win the SEC title, and quite rightly so, as Kirby Smart showcased that potential right from the beginning. But if we take a look at the history, it is still the Bama that holds the lead with the most SEC Championships in its bag. Last year, the Tide eliminated the Bulldogs to slide into the playoffs.

So, the wiggle room theory makes sense. Nonetheless, Saturday’s outcome might alter the sentiment all along. So, let’s shift our focus to see how the rivals stack against each other from the season observation.

Can the Tide’s spectacular third-down defense work against the Bulldogs?

Alabama has really showcased a class third-down defense this season, at least in comparison with Georgia. While Georgia has allowed 39 per cent conversions on the third down, making them pretty average in the parameter among SEC teams, Alabama’s defense has the upper hand with a 16.3 per cent overall conversion rate for the third-down plays. Now, this highly-contrasting tally can imply two things: one, the Bama squad is really impressive, or they are low-key untested against a stronger challenger yet.

The Bulldogs lack points (31.7 ppg) this year in terms of the previous three years when they used to weigh heavier. The dearth of the offensive line is to be blamed. More specifically, they have been pretty sluggish when it comes to big plays. Kirby Smart’s boys almost had an upset against Kentucky in Week 3. A 13-12 win, but a win is a win. However, their ranking dropped, and the game left Smart a lot to think about. We have already talked about Bama’s defense stopping third-down plays, and that can be the difference in this Week 5 game.

On the other hand, DeBoer’s team has gone from strength to strength. A little hiccup in the first three quarters of their Week 2 game. Since then, the offense has been rolling, and why not! When you have Jalen Milroe’s dual threat and Ryan Williams’ ability to make big plays, the offense will keep being a headache for the opponents. The O-line looks better after the return of Kadyn Proctor.

The odds are stacked against Alabama in this game, but they are at home! You simply do not underestimate the Tide, especially at home. When it comes to their game against Georgia, the Bama boys have always been able to prevail in the recent history of the match-up; home, away, neutral, it hasn’t mattered! Will that change? We’ll get our answer on Saturday.

If you want to know about other nitty-gritty of college football, you can refer to our ES Think Tank interview with Doug Sanders, founder of Sanders Sports and Entertainment.