Alabama in rare underdog role (again!) in SEC championship against Georgia

The Alabama Crimson Tide under head coach Nick Saban have been synonymous with winning in college football — collecting six national championships and stockpiling winning seasons. They’ve also been synonymous as the most favored team in college football over that time period, including a record 92-game streak as a favorite from 2009-2015.

Since the start of the 2010 season, in fact, Alabama remarkably has been a favorite in 190 of the 193 games it has played.

But on Saturday in the SEC championship game, Alabama — currently a 6-point underdog — will be an underdog for only the fourth time in that time span … and all four instances will have come against the Georgia Bulldogs.

Kirby Smart’s team has won back-to-back national championships and was favored twice against Alabama in the 2021 season — beating Alabama 33-18 in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game and losing 41-21 as 6-point favorites in the SEC championship game that year.

In 2015, it was Georgia (at home) which broke Alabama’s record streak as a favorite, heading into an October 3 matchup as a 1.5-point favorite; Alabama won 38-10.

The Crimson Tide need a win in the SEC championship game to make this year’s College Football Playoff, while the Bulldogs will likely get in no matter the result. Georgia currently has the second-best odds of any team (Michigan is No. 1) as a -525 favorite to make the playoff (no at +380) at DraftKings Sportsbook, while Alabama is +190 to make the playoff (no at -245).