The Georgia Bulldogs and Alabama Crimson Tide meet in one of the SEC’s marquee matchups this weekend, and the game itself might not be the most unpredictable part of it. Both teams arrive in Tuscaloosa unbeaten, with No. 2 Georgia and No. 6 Alabama carrying 5-0 records into a rivalry that has shaped the SEC race.
Alabama has scored 45 or more points in every game this season, while Georgia has yet to trail. Georgia holds the most recent bragging rights, having beaten Alabama 28-7 in last year’s SEC Championship Game, a result that still shadows this rematch.
Saturday’s meeting carries weight in the race, with both programs treating it as an early measuring stick. But the bigger storyline this week has less to do with either offense and more to do with what’s forming out in the Gulf.
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Tropical Storm Isaias developed in the western Gulf this week and is projected to strengthen into a hurricane before landfall between Louisiana and the Florida Panhandle. Alabama athletics addressed the forecast Tuesday night, saying the department is “closely monitoring the weather forecast” and that there are no plans to alter the contest.
Storm Puts Saturday’s Georgia vs. Alabama Kickoff in Question
Longtime ABC 33/40 meteorologist James Spann isn’t as reassured. He has called the threat of severe weather around kickoff serious, describing a hurricane landfall near Mobile Bay as a nightmare scenario.
Projections have Isaias reaching land late Friday night with winds near 90 mph, and Tuscaloosa could see four to five inches of rain, with gusts of 20 to 30 mph expected by kickoff. Spann warned a slower-moving storm could “keep the wind and the rain over the stadium Saturday night.”
“The idea of moving the game, it’s on the table,” Spann said, h/t AL.com. “I’m saying it’s clearly on the table. It would be a nightmare for everybody involved. But if we do get a Category 1, Category 2 hurricane coming right up Mobile Bay Saturday morning, I don’t know if you wouldn’t be playing that game in Tuscaloosa that you’ve got the chance of winds gusting to 50 miles an hour, torrential rain and the chance of isolated tornadoes on top of everything else.”
A schedule change remains possible, though nothing is official yet. The SEC rescheduled games in 2022 for Hurricane Ian, and President Donald Trump’s planned attendance adds another layer to any decision.
For now, Georgia and Alabama are still on schedule to kick off Saturday, October 10, at 7:30 p.m. ET inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.
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