The ESPN College GameDay crew will attend another SEC match-up next week, visiting Tuscaloosa for Alabama’s tussle against Georgia. Today, they are in Norman, Oklahoma, for the SEC battle between the top 15-ranked Tennessee (No.6) and Oklahoma (No.15).
Both the Crimson Tide and the Bulldogs will be unbeaten when the Week 5 game gets underway, with both teams having their first bye week this weekend. This adds an extra layer to the game—not that it needed one—with both elite programs looking to secure a big win over a top-10 opponent.
ESPN College GameDay Go SEC Heavy in the First Few Weeks
The last two weeks have seen ESPN College GameDay attend Southeastern Conference campuses, with South Carolina and Oklahoma. In Week 1, they attended College Station for Texas A&M vs. Notre Dame, and with the announcement that the team will be in Tuscaloosa in Week 5, I guess the SEC phrase “It just means more” fits.
It was hard for them not to head in those directions, with South Carolina facing SEC rival Kentucky. This weekend, it’s a top-15 game between two SEC schools. Next week, it’s one of the biggest games in college football, not just in the conference, so ESPN College GameDay had no choice.
Alabama football will move ahead of Ohio State with the most appearances on ESPN College GameDay (60), but it will still be three behind the Buckeyes (23) when it comes to hosting Rece Davis, Kirk Herbsteit, and the rest of the GameDay crew. The Crimson Tide are also three wins behind their Big Ten Conference rivals.
They attended last season’s SEC Championship game between Alabama and Georgia, with the Crimson Tide coming out on top 27-24. That was Nick Saban’s final season as head coach in Tuscaloosa. Saban is now on ESPN College GameDay alongside Pat McAfee, which is not something you would have predicted a few years ago. It will be interesting to see how Saban handles speaking about his former team, with plenty of love still for the program. So far this season, he has been excellent as an analyst.
Week 5 Game Will Give us a Bigger Idea Around Alabama
Alabama and Georgia will be at 3-0 when they face off next week, with both teams facing some early adversity in the first three games. Georgia dominated Clemson in Week 1 but stumbled past Kentucky last week, winning 13-12 in one of Georgia’s worst games under head coach Kirby Smart.
Alabama was excellent in its Week 3 demolition of Wisconsin but needed 28 fourth-quarter points to fend off South Florida. Bama arguably could have done without the bye week, coming off the high of the Wisconsin win. They will fancy their chances if they catch the Georgia team that turned out against Kentucky last week. However, I expect a bounce-back performance from the Bulldogs.
It would be an early statement win for both teams, but a loss wouldn’t put them out of the playoff picture. However, both teams have demanding schedules to manage, so a loss would make it more difficult. Bama leads the series 43-26-4, winning six of the last seven.
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