Georgia and Alabama on Track for a Possible SEC Championship Rematch

Georgia beat Alabama last weekend, but the Bulldogs may not be done with the Crimson Tide. Roundtable Sports argues that a rematch in the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta now looks more likely than not.

In the piece, which ran on Yahoo Sports, Roundtable Sports writer Michael Brauner called last weekend's game "an all-timer" and described the Tide and Dawgs as the two best teams in the conference, and possibly the two best in the country. His case for Alabama depends on quarterback Keelon Russell continuing to develop and the running game continuing to improve. If that happens, Brauner sees no team besides Georgia that can beat the Tide. If both teams win the rest of their regular-season games, they would meet again with the league title at stake.

The outlet gives Georgia the edge after the first game but expects any second meeting to be close. It notes that the Bulldogs know from their own history that the team getting a second chance at an opponent often has the better shot. The piece also raises the possibility of a third game between the two in the College Football Playoff, which it says would be historic.

For now, the standings support the idea. Georgia is 6-0 and ranked No. 1. Alabama is 5-1 and ranked No. 6, with the loss in Athens as its only defeat. Neither team can afford another slip if it wants to reach Atlanta, and both face SEC opponents on Saturday.

Georgia hosts Auburn (3-2) at 3:30 p.m. EDT on ESPN. The Bulldogs are heavy favorites. They are listed at -1076 on Novig, one of the venues pricing the game, and Pinnacle has them at -1316. The spread is Georgia -20.5 and the total is 49.5. Full prices are on the Auburn at Georgia odds page.

Alabama has the harder trip. It plays at No. 14 Tennessee, which is also 5-1, at the same time on ABC. The Tide are favored at -317 on Novig and -325 at DraftKings. Tennessee is getting 8.5 points and the total is 51.5. The Alabama at Tennessee odds page has the full market. For Alabama, Knoxville is the first test of whether Russell and the improved ground game can carry the team through a demanding second half of the season. A second loss would put a rematch in serious doubt.

Brauner also warns that Georgia should stay focused on getting better each week and not look ahead to December, a fair point with a rivalry game coming up. He adds that it is hard for fans not to picture how big a second Georgia-Alabama game in Atlanta would be. Until then, he expects the rest of the country to follow both teams closely.