A high-stakes AP Top 25 game between heavyweights Georgia and Alabama has become an annual expectation for college football fans, but never this early.
The No. 2 Bulldogs visit the No. 4 Crimson Tide on Saturday night for a Southeastern Conference opener and only their third regular-season meeting since 2015.
Of the last eight matchups, four have come in SEC title games and two in College Football Playoff championship games.
This will be only the fifth time since 2000 — and first since No. 1 Alabama beat No. 3 Florida State 24-7 in 2017 — that two top-four teams have met before October.
There are three other Top 25 matchups on Saturday.
No. 19 Illinois, which is 4-0 for the first time since 2011, will try for its third win against a ranked opponent when it visits No. 9 Penn State. No. 15 Louisville goes to No. 16 Notre Dame, which has outscored Purdue and Miami (Ohio) 98-10 since its loss to Northern Illinois. No. 20 Oklahoma State visits No. 23 Kansas State for a meeting of Big 12 title hopefuls coming off losses in their league openers.
Best game
No. 2 Georgia (3-0) at No. 4 Alabama (3-0), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
About all that’s missing is Nick Saban, who was front and center as this rivalry built up steam over the past decade. The Crimson Tide haven’t missed a beat so far under Kalen DeBoer, who took over for the retired Saban after leading Washington to the national championship game.
Jalen Milroe has had a hand in 14 of Alabama’s 21 touchdowns, Jam Miller is averaging an SEC-best 9.14 yards per carry and the Tide are averaging 49 points per game.
The Carson Beck-led Georgia offense hasn’t found its rhythm. Defense remains the Bulldogs’ strength. They’re the only FBS team that hasn’t allowed a touchdown and they have surrendered just two plays of 20 yards or longer.
Still, Georgia has won 42 straight regular-season games and is favored by 1 1/2 points, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. If the Bulldogs are still favored at kickoff, it would end Alabama’s streak of 90 straight home games in which it has been the favorite, according to ESPN.
Heisman watch
Heisman Trophy buzz is ratcheting up around Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter. Never mind he opened the week with 25-1 odds on BetMGM, 11th in the online sportsbook’s pecking order.
Hunter has five straight games with over 100 yards receiving, including his seven-catch, 130-yard performance against Baylor. His biggest play against the Bears was the shoulder hit he put on Dominic Richardson near the goal line, causing the tailback to fumble out of the end zone and secure the Buffaloes’ 38-31 overtime win. The Buffs’ iron man played a season-high 145 snaps in the game, according to Pro Football Focus.
Numbers to know
4 — One-play touchdown drives by Utah, most among power-conference teams.
143 — Navy’s point total through three games, highest since the 1918 Midshipmen had 150.
172 — Dabo Swinney’s wins at Clemson, one behind Bobby Bowden’s record for wins by an ACC coach, set at Florida State.
202 — Indiana’s point total, the highest over any four-game stretch in program history.
2014 — Last time Appalachian State had back-to-back home losses. The Mountaineers, who lost to South Alabama last week, host Conference USA favorite Liberty.
Under the radar
Washington State (4-0) at No. 25 Boise State (2-1), Saturday, 10 p.m. ET (FS1)
Boise State entered the Top 25 for the first time since 2020 this week. Washington State is receiving the most votes among teams outside the rankings.
The Cougars replaced Cam Ward (now at Miami) with his 2023 backup, John Mateer, and have made it through the first month of the season unbeaten for a second straight year after a 54-52 win over San Jose State in two overtimes. This is where things fell apart last season. The Cougars reached No. 13 in the poll and then lost six games in a row, seven of their last eight and finished 5-7.
The Broncos, based on this week’s Top 25, have overtaken Northern Illinois as the front-runner for the Group of Five’s spot in the College Football Playoff. Their top player, national rushing leader Ashton Jeanty, got limited snaps but still ran for 127 yards against Portland State last week.
Hot seat
Louisiana Tech (1-2) isn’t making much progress in year three under Sonny Cumbie, who takes a 7-20 record into Saturday’s game at Florida International.
The Bulldogs have committed 54 turnovers since 2022, tied for sixth-most in the FBS, and they played three quarterbacks last week in a 23-20 overtime loss to Tulsa because of Jack Turner’s ineffectiveness and an injury to Blake Baker.
The offensive struggle overshadows the work of a defense that leads Conference USA in fewest yards allowed and has given up only seven touchdowns.
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