Alabama–Georgia Football Rivalry

The Alabama–Georgia football rivalry is a college football rivalry game between the Crimson Tide of the University of Alabama and the Bulldogs of the University of Georgia. The two bordering state schools were charter members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in 1933 and played every season from 1944 to 1965. Despite no longer playing annually after 1992, Alabama and Georgia have met in several nationally important matchups in the twenty-first century, including four SEC championship games and two College Football Playoff national championship games since 2010, bringing the rivalry back into national prominence.

History

The two southern schools first met in 1895 in Columbus, Georgia. Georgia defeated Alabama by a score of 30–6. The teams did not meet again until 1901, another Georgia win, then continued to meet on a regular basis for the next several decades.

The teams played each other in every season from 1944 to 1965. Highlights of that era included two separate five-game winning streaks by Alabama and the first-ever college football game to be televised by the ABC network, Alabama's 21–6 win in 1960 in Birmingham.

In 1963, ''The Saturday Evening Post'' magazine reported that Alabama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and Georgia athletic director and former coach Wally Butts had conspired to fix the 1962 game, which Alabama won 35–0. After the story broke, Butts resigned as athletic director, though Butts and Bryant denied the allegations. The two sued the magazine's publisher for libel, and the case reached the United States Supreme Court as '' Curtis Publishing Co. v. Butts'' (1967). The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Butts, with the publisher eventually being ordered to pay more than $3 million in damages. The lawsuit has been credited with leading to the end of the magazine.

Following the scandal, the schools decided to end their annual series after the 1965 meeting, which the Bulldogs won 18–17 on a last-second controversial flea-flicker touchdown. They have played only sporadically since, including just four meetings from 1971 to 1982, an era in which the Tide or Bulldogs won at least a share of every SEC title.

SEC expansion and scheduling changes (1992–2011)

When the SEC expanded to twelve teams and split into two divisions in 1992, Alabama was placed in the West Division, while Georgia was in the East. Each team in the league was matched with two "permanent" cross-division rivals. Because Alabama and Georgia were not paired as permanent rivals, they would play only on a rotating basis (twice in an eight-year cycle) or in the newly created SEC Championship Game.

Later scheduling modifications, as well as the SEC's expansion to 14 teams, have resulted in just one permanent cross-division rival for each team, with Alabama playing Tennessee as part of the Third Saturday in October, and Georgia facing off against Auburn in the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry. The Crimson Tide and Bulldogs now saw each other in the regular season only twice per 12-year cycle.

From 1992 to 2011, Alabama and Georgia met six times, with each team winning three games each. Notable matchups included the 2007 and 2008 matchups, which were both featured on College GameDay. The 2007 matchup featured #22 Georgia narrowly defeating #16 Alabama 26–23 in overtime in Tuscaloosa. The 2008 matchup would feature #8 Alabama upsetting #3 Georgia 41–30 in Athens.

Since 1992, Alabama holds a 9–4 record over Georgia, which includes five post-season contests, including three SEC Championship Games won by Alabama and two College Football Playoff National Championship appearances split between the two teams. Many of the recent Alabama-Georgia matchups have been between highly ranked teams, with the regular-season matchups in 2007 and 2008 hosting . In 2007, #16 Georgia beat #23 Alabama in Overtime, 26–23. #8 Alabama won the 2008 matchup in Athens, a 41–30 upset over #3 Georgia.

Nationally prominent matchups (2012–present)

By 2012, both Georgia and Alabama had seen successes under head coaches Mark Richt and Nick Saban, respectively. The teams' first postseason meeting came in the 2012 SEC Championship Game, with the winner advancing to play for the national championship, as Alabama and Georgia were ranked #2 and #3 respectively. #2 Alabama defeated #3 Georgia, 32–28, after Georgia's final play fell five yards short of a winning score.

Mark Richt was dismissed as Georgia's head coach at the end of the 2015 season, and Georgia hired Alabama defensive coordinator and former Georgia player Kirby Smart to replace him. Smart quickly returned Georgia to national prominence, and in 2017, Georgia won the SEC Championship over Auburn and advanced to the national championship, where they would meet Smart's former boss Nick Saban.

In the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship, Alabama overcame a 13-point deficit to defeat Georgia by a score of 26–23 in overtime, clinching its 17th national championship in program history. Alabama's win marked the first time in college football history that a program had won the national championship game despite not having the lead the entire game.

The following season, the teams played in the 2018 SEC Championship Game. #4 Georgia led 28–14 with just over three minutes remaining in the third quarter, only to see #1 Alabama once again rally to win, 35–28. The loss would prevent Georgia from making their second-straight College Football Playoff appearance, and Alabama would end up losing the national championship to Clemson.

The teams next met during the 2020 regular season in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. This was a highly anticipated game, with both teams ranked in the top three and Alabama hosting ''College GameDay''. It was the first meeting in Tuscaloosa since 2007. The game was back and forth throughout the first half, and Georgia led 24–20 at halftime. In the second half, however, Alabama outscored Georgia with 21 unanswered points and won 41–24. Alabama would go on to finish with a perfect 13–0 record and win their 18th national title in program history.

In 2021, the two teams met again in the SEC Championship Game. Georgia was undefeated and ranked number one in the nation at the time while Alabama had one loss and was ranked number three. Alabama again prevailed, 41–24, this time dominating the majority of the game. Despite the loss, Georgia still qualified for the College Football Playoff thanks to #5 Oklahoma State losing to #9 Baylor in the Big 12 Championship, and each team prevailed in their national semifinal matchup, setting up a rematch in the national championship. This marked the shortest span between two successive matchups in the history of the teams' rivalry. Georgia won the national championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis 33–18 for the Bulldogs' first national championship since 1980. This was also Georgia's first win over Alabama since September 22, 2007, snapping a seven-game losing streak. Georgia's win also marked the first time since conference championship games began to be played in 1992 that a team was the AP national champion after losing its respective conference championship game in the same season.

In 2023, the two teams met once again for the SEC Championship Game, with #1 Georgia meeting #8 Alabama. Georgia had entered the game with a 29-game winning streak, which had started after the Bulldogs' loss to Alabama in the 2021 SEC title game. In a close game, Alabama upset Georgia, 27–24, improving to 4–0 against the Bulldogs in SEC title games. Unlike in 2021 though, Georgia would not receive an invite to the College Football Playoff, and would be denied the opportunity to win three consecutive national titles. Alabama would lose in the College Football Playoff Semifinal to Michigan.

Following the 2023 season, Alabama head coach Nick Saban would retire from coaching, leaving Alabama with a record of 8–2 against Georgia. Alabama would hire Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer as Saban's replacement. In 2024, the two teams were scheduled to meet in the regular season for the first time in four years. The game was advertised as another marquee ''College GameDay'' matchup, with #4 Alabama hosting #2 Georgia, the seventh time in 12 years the two teams met both ranked in the top five. Georgia entered the game having not allowed a single touchdown through the first three weeks of the season, however, Alabama opened the game scoring 28 unanswered points. Georgia then answered by orchestrating a 28-point comeback, eventually leading 34–33 late in the fourth quarter. Alabama would then respond with a 75-yard, go-ahead touchdown and a subsequent interception off of Georgia to win the game, 41–34. The loss snapped Georgia's 42-game regular-season win streak.

Game results

Record by location

''As of September 28, 2024''

Record by game type

''As of September 28, 2024''

Coaching records

''As of September 28, 2024''

Alabama

Georgia

See also

* List of NCAA college football rivalry games

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alabama-Georgia football rivalry
College football rivalries in the United States
Alabama Crimson Tide football
Georgia Bulldogs football