As the week unfolds, Alabama finds itself in an unusual position as a home underdog against Georgia in their highly anticipated SEC matchup in Tuscaloosa. This marks a rare occurrence for the Crimson Tide, who have long been a dominant force in college football.
As of Monday, Alabama was listed as a 2-point underdog at several sportsbooks, a stark contrast to their historical performance. The team has been favored in 90 consecutive home games, a streak that dates back to 2007 when they faced LSU. Additionally, they haven’t been underdogs in a regular-season game since 2015, also against Georgia. If current betting trends hold, both of these remarkable streaks may come to an end this Saturday.
Initially, oddsmakers set the point spread for this game at Georgia -4.5, as they evaluated Alabama’s potential drop in performance following the departure of legendary coach Nick Saban. However, as the season has progressed, perceptions about both teams have shifted, with many now viewing Alabama as the more impressive squad this year.
Veteran Las Vegas oddsmaker Chris Andrews shared his insights, noting that while Georgia is still a strong team, they haven’t shown the same level of dominance as in previous seasons. “Georgia’s good, really good. But they haven’t been great; they haven’t been as good as they were last year,” Andrews commented. He anticipates adjusting his line to reflect a more favorable view of Alabama compared to other sportsbooks.
As of Monday, several betting platforms, including ESPN BET, listed Georgia as a slight favorite at -1.5, while FanDuel and BetMGM had the Bulldogs at -2.5. This shifting line indicates that bettors are beginning to place more confidence in Alabama’s ability to compete against Georgia.
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