The Alabama Crimson Tide and Georgia Bulldogs have become familiar opponents on the gridiron, particularly in the last 10 years. They'll square off for the fourth straight year in Week 6 of the 2026 college football season at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Alabama and Georgia are meeting for the eight time since 2020, and for the third consecutive regular season. This year's edition of the Tide-Bulldogs heavyweight features two teams ranked near the top of the polls. Alabama (5-0 overall, 3-0 SEC) is No. 6 in the AP Top 25 and No. 7 in the US LBM Coaches Poll; Georgia (5-0, 3-0) is No. 2.
Neither team has faced a full four-quarter challenge. Georgia is coming off a 38-14 victory over the Vanderbilt Commodores in Week 5. Gunner Stockton threw for 295 yards
and three touchdowns, and Chauncey Bowens and Jaden Redell rushed for touchdowns with star running back Nate Frazier banged up.
The Bulldogs' average margin of victory through five games is 38 points .
For their part, coach Kalen DeBoer and Alabama went on the road and handled a promising Mississippi State Bulldogs team that entered Week 5 unbeaten and No. 16 in the polls. Keelon Russell had another big game for the Tide, throwing for 285 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for another score. Alabama won, 56-23.
Russell threw a 15-yard touchdown to Ryan Coleman-Williams on the Crimson Tide's first series and later found Rico Scott for two touchdown passes in the second half. Trae'shawn Brown continued his impressive start at running back, racking up 66 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries.
Alabama's defense notched its fourth interception return for touchdown of the season when cornerback Dijon Lee picked off a Kamario Taylor pass and returned it 30 yards for a score. The Crimson Tide forced four turnovers.
Alabama's average margin of victory this season is almost 29 points.
Will Alabama football beat Georgia? ESPN's prediction
Oddsmakers have Alabama as a slight favorite over Georgia, but as always, ESPN Analytics has its own odds for Saturday's games.
ESPN's matchup predictor, which offers a prediction model based on its college football power index and other variables, gives Alabama a 52.6% chance to win. Georgia has a 47.3% chance.
The Crimson Tide are sixth nationally in ESPN's FPI, the same spot as last week, and are third among SEC teams. Alabama has a 27 overall FPI rating (up from 24.6). Georgia has a 28.2 FPI rating that is second in ESPN's metrics.
Alabama football odds of reaching College Football Playoff after blowout win at Mississippi State
In ESPN's FPI entering Week 6, Alabama's chances of reaching the 12-team College Football Playoff are 88%, a steady increase from 72.9% last week. It has the fourth-best odds among power conference teams (and Notre Dame) of reaching the CFP, and it has the third-best odds among SEC teams behind Texas and Georgia.
The Crimson Tide are given an 28.2% chance of winning the SEC championship (up from 18.1% last week), a 24.8% chance of reaching the national championship game (up from 16.7%) on Jan. 25 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas and a 12.4% shot of winning the national title (up from 8.4% a week ago).
Alabama is one spot behind the Miami Hurricanes (27.5) in the FPI and one spot ahead of the Indiana Hoosiers (24.5).
SEC football teams ranked by ESPN FPI: promising team tumbles after hot start
Florida's 45-17 loss to the Missouri Tigers at Faurot Field in Columbia saw the previously unbeaten Gators drop from the top-five spots among SEC teams in ESPN's FPI. As a result, Tennessee rounds out the SEC's top five entrants in this week's rankings after a 24-10 win over Auburn.
Here is where Alabama and all 16 SEC teams rank in ESPN's FPI:
- 16. Arkansas Razorbacks (0.8 FPI)
- 15. Vanderbilt Commodores (4.9 FPI)
- 14. South Carolina Gamecocks (9.3 FPI)
- 13. Kentucky Wildcats (10.4 FPI)
- 12. Mississippi State Bulldogs (11.9 FPI)
- 11. Auburn Tigers (12.5 FPI)
- 10. Ole Miss Rebels (13.2 FPI)
- 9. Oklahoma Sooners (13.5 FPI)
- 8. Missouri Tigers (14.3 FPI)
- 7. Florida Gators (15.2 FPI)
- 6. Texas A&M Aggies (16.3 FPI)
- 5. Tennessee Volunteers (18.5 FPI)
- 4. LSU Tigers (22.0 FPI)
- 3. Alabama Crimson Tide (27.0 FPI)
- 2. Texas Longhorns (27.6 FPI)
- 1. Georgia Bulldogs (28.2 FPI)
What are ESPN FPI ratings?
ESPN explains:
"The Football Power Index (FPI) is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team's performance going forward for the rest of the season. FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Projected results are based on 20,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule. Ratings and projections update daily. FPI data from seasons prior to 2019 may not be complete."
Alabama football vs. Georgia start time, TV information
TV channel, announcers for Alabama football vs. Georgia
— Roll Tide Wire (@RollTideWire) October 6, 2026
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Kickoff for Alabama-Georgia in Week 6 of the 2026 college football season is 6:30 p.m. CT Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The game can be seen on ABC.
Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit will have the call of the game. Holly Rowe and Laura Rutledge will report from the sidelines. An alternate "SkyCast" presentation of the game can be seen on SEC Network.
Additionally, the Crimson Tide Sports Network feed of the game featuring Alabama radio voice Chris Stewart and Tyler Watts can be heard on SiriusXM channel 84 and The Varsity App.
Alabama football schedule 2026
All times Central.
- Sept. 5: vs. East Carolina Pirates (W, 48-10)
- Sept. 12: at Kentucky Wildcats (W, 45-17)
- Sept. 19: vs. Florida State Seminoles (W, 50-36)
- Sept. 26: vs. South Carolina Gamecocks (W, 49-18)
- Oct. 3: at Mississippi State Bulldogs (W, 56-23)
- Oct. 10: vs. Georgia Bulldogs, 6:30 p.m., ABC
- Oct. 17: at Tennessee Volunteers, 2:30 p.m., ABC, ESPN or SEC Network
- Oct. 24: vs. Texas A&M Aggies, TBA
- Nov. 7: at LSU Tigers, TBA
- Nov. 14: at Vanderbilt Commodores, TBA
- Nov. 21: vs. Chattanooga Mocs, 1 p.m., SEC Network+
- Nov. 28: vs. Auburn Tigers, TBA
Record: 5-0, 3-0 SEC.
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This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: ESPN predicts the winner of Alabama football vs. Georgia
