ATHENS — Yes there’s some interest in this game: Georgia is expecting to issue over 600 media credentials for Saturday’s game against Alabama.

That includes writers, photographers, home and road visiting crews, national radio, bowl scouts, pro scouts and more. It also includes about 100 personnel affiliated with CBS, which is televising the game. (That’s typical for a CBS game.)

There’s no official record kept for how many credentials are issued for each game, but Georgia communications director Claude Felton estimated this game “is in the top two or three,” along with the 2008 game against Alabama and 2013 against LSU.

No. 8 Georgia is a slight favorite over No. 13 Alabama. It’s the first meeting between the teams since the 2012 SEC championship, and Alabama’s first visit to Athens since the infamous “Blackout” game in 2008.

This is far from the highest-ranked match-up there’s been recently at Sanford Stadium. Two years ago it was No. 6 LSU visiting No. 9 Georgia, just three weeks after No. 6 South Carolina visited.

But this is Alabama, winner of three national titles since 2009, and last year’s SEC champion, and still Nick Saban’s team. So the interest remains high nationally.