Preview: SEC Championship

WHERE: Mercedes-Benz Stadium

WHEN: Saturday, 4 p.m.

RECORDS: Georgia 12-0; Alabama 11-1

TV/RADIO: CBS (Brad Nessler, Gary Danielson, Jenny Dell); Georgia Bulldog Radio Network (Scott Howard, Eric Zeier, D.J. Shockley); Sirius/XM (Mike Watts, Derek Rackley, Taylor Davis); SEC Radio (Dave Neal, Cole Cubelic, Stephen Hartzell).

Well, here we are. Georgia versus Alabama for the SEC Championship and at least as far as Georgia is concerned, a guaranteed spot in the College Football Playoffs.

For Alabama, that could well depend on what Florida State and Texas do in their respective conference championships.

But first, the Crimson Tide have to beat Georgia, and that certainly will not be an easy task.

The Bulldogs, a 5.5 favorite, have won an SEC-record 29 straight games, while the Crimson Tide’s only loss came back on Week 2 against Texas.

As usual, storylines abound whenever Georgia and Alabama meet, and Saturday’s game is no exception.

For the Bulldogs, it revolves around who may or may not play.

Tight end Brock Bowers, wide receiver Ladd McConkey, wide receiver RaRa Thomas, and right guard Tate Ratledge all missed last week’s game at Georgia Tech.

Their return and how effective they will be remain the looming questions for Georgia and its fans.

Alabama has some injury situations too.

Leading rusher Jace McClellan has been extremely limited in practice and is a huge question mark going into the game.

Even if McClellan can go, much of Georgia’s focus will be on quarterback Jalen Milroe. He's one of the most dangerous runners in the country and is completing 55 percent of his deep throws.

But Georgia is no slouch, either.

The Bulldogs are one of only three teams ranked in the Top 10 in both scoring offense (39.6 points per game) and scoring defense (15.8 ppg).

This one’s going to be good.

Georgia: QB Carson Beck, RB Kendall Milton, RB Daijun Edwards, TE Brock Bowers, WR Dillon Bell, WR Dominic Lovett, WR Ladd McConkey, WR Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, C Sedrick Van Pran, RT Amarius Mims, N Nazir Stackhouse, DE Mykel Williams, LB Smael Mondon, S Tykee Smith, S Javon Bullard, CB Kamari Lassiter.

Georgia Offensive Stats

Georgia Defensive Stats

Alabama: QB Jalen Milroe, RB Jace McClellan, RB Roydell Williams, WR Jermaine Burton, RT Jaycee Latham, DE Jaheim Oatis, N Tim Keenan III, DE Justin Eboigbe, Mike Trezman Marshall, Sam Dallas Turner, CB Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB Terrion Arnold, SS Caleb Downs.

Alabama Offensive Stats

Alabama Defensive Stats

Contain Jalen Milroe: This may be the most obvious key for the entire year. But it’s true. For Georgia to win, the Bulldogs have to find a way to limit Milroe’s big plays, and hopefully, pressure him into making mistakes.

Secondary must be on point: Alabama will throw deep often, so it’s going to be up to Georgia’s secondary, which will face its toughest task of the year. Georgia defensive backs often play with their back to the ball and watch a receiver's eyes and arms before reaching up to knock the ball away. While the Bulldogs have been successful most of the time, it can lead to pass interference penalties, which we’ve seen on occasion this year.

Stay balanced on offense: You’re not going to beat Alabama by being one-dimensional, so look for offensive coordinator Mike Bobo to continue what he’s done all year, and mix up his plays to keep the Crimson Tide off balance as much as possible. If Kendall Milton can continue his outstanding play from the past three weeks, that’s going to mean trouble for Alabama.

TE Brock Bowers (ankle) Probable

OL Tate Ratledge (knee) Probable

WR Ladd McConkey (ankle) Questionable

WR RaRa Thomas (foot) Questionable

LB Jamon Dumas-Johnson (forearm) Doubtful

CB Julian Humphrey (shoulder) Doubtful

LB Smael Mondon (soreness) Probable

…The Bulldogs are averaging 39.6 points/game (8th nationally).

… Georgia has outscored its opponents 475-189, including 256-106 in the opening half.

… Georgia owns a +286 point differential; 62-for-68 in the Red Zone with 45 touchdowns, and 17 field goals.

…The 2022 Bulldogs averaged 41.1 points/game (5th nationally) and outscored their opponents 616-214, including 341-105 in the opening half.

… Senior star Tykee Smith leads the team with 63 tackles, a team-leading 7.5 TFL, two sacks, and a team-high four interceptions. He had a career-high 10 stops in the rout at No. 18 Tennessee and most recently had seven at Ga. Tech.

… Carson Beck’s 3,495 passing yards this year ranks 4th in school history, trailing Stetson Bennett, 4,127 in 2022; Aaron Murray, 3,893 in 2012; Eric Zeier, 3,525 in 1993.

… Kicker Peyton Woodring has attempted all field goals and point-after attempts this season and is a Lou Groza Award semifinalist. He has a team-high 119 points, going 20-for-23 on field goals and 59-for-59 on PATs. He ranks 8th nationally in scoring and 3rd among kickers. His 119 points currently ranks 8th best in school history for a kicker. Woodring has set the Bulldog freshman record for most points kicking. The old mark was 95 by Blair Walsh in 2008.

... In 11 starts this season, Jalen Milroe has completed 158-of-238 passes for 2,526 yards. Milroe is second in the SEC and ranks fifth nationally with a 15.99 yards per completion mark while averaging 10.61 yards per pass attempt.

... Jermaine Burton has emerged as a big-play threat for the Crimson Tide this season. The senior leads UA with 749 yards and seven touchdowns on 33 catches. A total of 20 of his receptions have converted a first down, while Burton averages 22.7 yards per catch to lead the SEC and rank second nationally in that category.

…Alabama is 42-for-45 (93.3 percent) on scoring opportunities inside the red zone this season to rank 10th nationally and second in the SEC.

… The Crimson Tide ranks third in the SEC and 12th nationally in converting third-down tries. Alabama is moving the chains at a 48.7 percent (76-156) clip through 12 games. For comparison, UA was fifth in the SEC and 25th in Division I in 2022, converting 45.7 percent (74-162) of the time on third down.

… Through 12 games, Dallas Turner has accumulated 46 total tackles, including a team-high 12.5 for loss (-81 yards) and eight sacks (-61 yards). Turner’s eight sacks are tied for third in the SEC and ninth nationally, while his 0.67 sacks per game average is tied for fourth in the conference. He is also ranked in the top 10 in the league for tackles for loss.

So much is on the line, and knowing that, both teams will be ready.

Throw out what you saw last week from both the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide, as it’s not going to matter one iota Saturday afternoon at Mercedes-Benz.

Both teams have injury questions, and while Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe may be the most explosive athlete on the field, Georgia has more weapons. Still, this is going to be a close one, but the Bulldogs will prevail: Georgia 28, Alabama 27.