As you might have read or been told a hundred times by now, the Georgia football team, led by Kirby Smart, is 1-6 against Alabama.
The following anatomy of that history is a major subplot to Saturday’s game:
- 0-2 at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa (2020 and 2024)
- 0-3 in the SEC Championship in Atlanta (2018, 2021 and 2023)
- 1-1 in the National Championship (2017 and 2021 seasons)
- 0-0 in Sanford Stadium in Athens
If that’s not enough, the one additional stat is that Smart’s teams are also 0-1 against Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama.
It all leads to a side-dish discussion to size up how many times the Crimson Tide had the better overall team here. These two schools have combined to sign the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class in eight of the last 10 years.
On the surface, it appears this Georgia team is neck-and-neck with Alabama in terms of overall talent this season. It might even have the edge.
That feels like a similar situation to the 2021 and 2024 meetings between these two heavyweight programs, but the Dawgs only won one of those three clashes.
When the Dawgs clashed with Nick Saban’s teams, there was probably at least one more time that Smart clearly had the better roster. That was the 2023 SEC Championship Game in which future first-round picks Brock Bowers and Amarius Mims, plus future second-round receiver Ladd McConkey, were limited.
That trio all either left the game with injury or played at far less than full strength in a game Alabama ultimately won by a 27-24 margin.
While that was glaring, the reality is that there have been several times in the recent history of this series where both Alabama and Georgia have endured the loss of key personnel. That’s just college football played at the highest level.
The meetings in 2017, 2018 and 2020 all slanted to the Crimson Tide having the better overall roster. Alabama, led by Nick Saban, won all three of those games.
That feels like a discussion more grounded in reality than the bullet point 1-6 skid. The latter is what fuels the national perception that Alabama is Kirby’s Kryptonite.
Those six losses make up 32 percent of his 19 losses in the first nine seasons of his career. If Smart’s teams could have won a couple more of those, his career record would really stack up with the all-time great runs in college football history.
Perception vs. reality. That’s the big issue when it comes to the importance of Saturday’s game. That’s why we teed up that specific topic with the entire DawgNation team this week.
What did the Huddle have to say about this one? See below.
Does this Alabama game mean more for optics with Georgia than for reality?
Brandon Adams: Yes
Why: There’s far more pressure on Alabama than Georgia – although it doesn’t seem that way to UGA fans with harsh memories from previous losses. The simplest way to say it is that Georgia wants the win badly, but Alabama, in Year 2 for Kalen DeBoer, is desperate for it.
Mike Griffith: At the moment, optics matter, but perhaps not ultimately
Why: It has been well-documented that Kirby Smart is 1-6 against Alabama, the only scar on his otherwise glowing resume, but the fact that Smart has not lost to Alabama in Sanford Stadium gives UGA followers something to hold on to, as far as discounting the simple possibility that the Tide has Smart’s number. The balance in the SEC makes every game important in this College Football Playoff era, as transitive properties and won-loss record will be in play when the CFP Selection Committee does its final rankings of the teams in setting the 12-team playoff field.
Kaylee Mansell: For this particular season, no.
Why: Does it matter to UGA fans that Georgia finally sees a victory over Alabama? Yes. However, it is still early in the season for the Dawgs, so this game can set the tone for how the rest of the season unfolds when it comes to the regular season record. The road ahead is tough and Georgia needs to stack wins early, especially at home. So, although optics are important from a fan perspective, it’s equally as important as the reality of UGA setting itself up for success later in the season.
Connor Riley: No
Why: It’s equally important for Georgia. Within the confines of the 2025 season, getting through September with an unbeaten record would greatly set up what the Bulldogs could do in this season. Add in how often Kalen DeBoer and Smart have gone head-to-head for recruits this cycle and it’s a pivotal game between the two.
Even if Georgia does win on Saturday, Smart will still be just 2-6 against Alabama. He’s going to need to win several games against the Crimson Tide before he can flip that narrative. But Saturday would be an excellent time to start.
Jeff Sentell: No
Why: I won’t discourage anyone who offers up the take that Alabama beat Georgia last year in a pride-checking result, but the Dawgs still won the SEC. This game carries weight for momentum. A win solidifies the opinion that Gunner Stockton is one of the better QBs in the SEC. It would mean Smart’s Alabama yips were tied more to location and Saban than anything else. Even though the Crimson Tide generally had the better team through the 1-6 stretch.
Most importantly, a win would mean that a Georgia team that is capable of beating Alabama is also good enough to win the national championship.
