When there’s a big game up ahead, the DawgNation team gets together to chop up a few distinct angles or storylines leading up to the main event.
There is no shortage of those for this week’s opponent.
It is a fact that the Georgia football team, led by Kirby Smart, has a 1-6 record against Alabama over the years.
It is also a fact that the Dawgs have never faced Alabama in Athens. They are 0-3 in Atlanta in SEC Championship Games, 0-2 in Tuscaloosa and 1-1 in National Championship Games played in Atlanta and Indianapolis.
That is a fact that will be rectified after the teams kick it off at 7:44 PM on Saturday.
What do the opinions of the DawgNation team have to say about Smart finally getting Alabama Between the Hedges in Sanford?
Has that gotten too much attention this week? Has it not gotten enough?
It was interesting to learn how everyone on the DawgNation team felt about that topic.
Do you feel that too much has been made of the fact that Kirby Smart has yet to face Alabama at home?
Brandon Adams: No
Why: It’s a scheduling anomaly, of course. But it also points to a larger narrative that gets overlooked. Part of the reason UGA has beaten Alabama infrequently is that they haven’t played very much. In addition to the lack of home games, UGA could’ve possibly earned wins against Alabama in the SEC championship game, but in 2017, 2019 and 2022, when UGA was there, Alabama was nowhere to be found.
Mike Griffith: No
Why: Georgia’s winning edge at Sanford Stadium under Kirby Smart is decisive, as the team has won a school-record 33-straight games at home, and Smart is 17-0 under the lights in Athens. The Georgia fans have factored heavily into those victories, forcing Notre Dame’s offense into six motion penalties in a 23-17 win in 2019, and Tennessee into five false starts in UGA’s 27-13 victory in a matchup pitting two No. 1-ranked teams in 2022 (Vols, CFP poll; UGA, AP and Coaches’ Poll).
Kaylee Mansell: No
Why: This rivalry game at home has been 10 years in the making. Last year, we saw how the game being played in Tuscaloosa led to early penalties and a slow start. Home advantage absolutely makes a difference in games of this magnitude. If there was ever a time for Georgia to slay the dragon, it’s now.
Connor Riley: Yes
Why: It would be one thing if most of the seven games against Alabama had been played in Tuscaloosa. The fact is that only two have. Georgia has faced Alabama five times on a neutral field and is 1-4 in those games. His teams are 0-4 in Atlanta. I’d argue as well that since 2021, Georgia has had the more talented team than Alabama every time they’ve met. Georgia is 1-3 in those games. At this point, Smart’s struggles against Alabama extend beyond the venue.
Jeff Sentell: No, but not for the apparent reason.
Why: Count me among the crowd that I don’t feel like anything that took place in 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 has a great deal to do with Saturday’s game. Nick Saban is not leading the Crimson Tide. Kalen DeBoer is. He currently holds a 1-0 record against Georgia and Kirby Smart.
What I do place more stock in is the fact that DeBoer’s Alabama has struggled on the road in his short tenure. His team has lost five of its last six games away from Tuscaloosa. That’s a daunting trend. Now mix that in with the fact that Georgia is incredibly tough at home and owns a 33-game win streak to prove it. The biggest trend in this game is not Smart’s 1-6 against the Tide, but DeBoer’s current 1-5 road skid at Alabama.
