Alabama opens up against Georgia as 2.5 point underdog

The Alabama Crimson Tide will have the eyes of the entire college football world upon it next Saturday night in Tuscaloosa when they host the Georgia Bulldogs in what is the marquee SEC matchup of the season.

With both the Tide and the ‘Dawgs on bye this weekend, the official game week betting line has been released. It’s an eyebrow raiser. Alabama opens as a 2.5 point underdog against Georgia, a number that was seen as significantly higher during the offseason. It also would not be a surprise to see even more movement in Alabama’s favor throughout the course of the week as public money flows in.

Numerous sports books had the line set before the season as Georgia by roughly a touchdown with Alabama beginning a new era under a new head coach. In all likelihood, that initial number would have been close to accurate had last weekend not shaken out the way it did.

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While the Tide grabbed a dominating 32-point victory on the road against Wisconsin, Georgia struggled mightily in Lexington against Kentucky and won just 13-12 in a game where the Dawgs showed tremendous vulnerability.

Georgia was knocked off their post as No. 1 in the AP Poll in favor of Texas while the Tide stood firm at No. 4.

Regardless of what the line looks like, it is going to be a phenomenal game on Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium next Saturday night.

Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.