Alabama is Favored to Beat Georgia — But is That a Good Thing?

The Alabama Crimson Tide just put together one of their most impressive wins of the Kalen DeBoer era, thumping Mississippi State by a score of 56-23 on the road.

Things will get even tougher in Week 6, as Alabama will host the second-ranked Georgia Bulldogs in a showdown of two of the nation's best teams on Saturday.

But even though Georgia is ranked three spots ahead of Alabama in the AP Poll, the Crimson Tide are actually favored to win this game.

The Bulldogs opened up as favorites Sunday morning, but that quickly flipped. Is that a good thing for Alabama?

Obviously, the game being in Tuscaloosa surely swayed the oddsmakers. Had this matchup been in Athens, you can bet Georgia would have been favored.

Regardless, just about everyone had the Bulldogs tabbed as the better team heading into 2026, but that's no longer so cut and dry.

While Georgia has been very impressive thus far this season, Alabama's win over Mississippi State seems to be the most prominent signature win between the two teams.

And now, I think most would agree that the Crimson Tide and the Bulldogs are both evenly matched ballclubs.

But Alabama has seemed to relish when being questioned. Last year when everyone jumped ship following the team's season-opening loss to Florida State, the Crimson Tide reeled off eight straight victories — including a win over Georgia.

This year, Alabama was widely viewed as a middle-of-the-pack top-25 team heading into the campaign, but has gotten off to an eye-opening 5-0 start that has featured back-to-back blowout victories in which Keelon Russell dominated.

There were some who felt 'Bama would lose to Mississippi State over the weekend, and most at least assumed the game would be competitive.

Alabama has thrived under doubt, and now, the Crimson Tide are suddenly on the other end. They are somehow favorites against a team that annihilated them in the SEC title game last season, and it feels like strange territory.

Perhaps DeBoer and Co. are now past the point where being an underdog or a snubbed team actually helps. It seems like the head coach has finally found his groove in Tuscaloosa, having gone 16-3 over his last 19 games.

But Alabama still needs to prove that it really is back as a top-tier club. I guess we'll find out this Saturday in the most difficult game remaining on the Crimson Tide's schedule.