‘Toughest Challenge by Far’ — Kalen DeBoer Sizes Up Unbeaten Georgia as No. 1 Ranking Could Hang on Saturday Night in Tuscaloosa

One unbeaten record ends Saturday night in Tuscaloosa. No. 2 Georgia and No. 6 Alabama, both 5-0 and 3-0 in the SEC, collide at Bryant-Denny Stadium in a game that stayed on schedule despite Hurricane Isaias.

Texas sits atop the latest AP poll with 61 first-place votes, while Georgia received six. The results of college football Week 6 Saturday could change all that.

Georgia and Alabama Winner Could Claim Top National Ranking

Speaking on The Pat McAfee Show Friday, Stanford Steve claimed that whoever wins in Tuscaloosa will be the No. 1 team in the country.

For Georgia, that would mean passing Texas. For Alabama, it would mean climbing past Texas, No. 3 Notre Dame, No. 4 Miami, and No. 5 Ohio State.

One fan named those same teams in a post on X. “The winner of Alabama-Georgia is the best team in the country. Not Texas, not Notre Dame, not Miami and not Ohio State.”

Pro Football Network’s College Football Playoff Meter, as of Saturday, gives Georgia a 13.8% chance to win the national title, ahead of Miami (12.2%), Alabama (11.7%), Texas (11.2%), Indiana (11.0%), Ohio State (10.9%), and Notre Dame (10.1%).

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PFN’s College Football Playoff Meter gives Georgia a 53.5% chance to win Saturday night and says a Georgia victory would lift the Bulldogs’ title odds to 16.6%, while an Alabama win would raise the Tide’s to 14.5%.

In PFN Impact’s team grades through Week 5, Georgia’s offense grade of 93.6 ranks 3rd of 138 graded FBS team offenses, and Alabama’s 90.2 ranks 6th of 138, with Miami and Indiana in the top two spots.

Georgia arrives off a 38-14 win over Vanderbilt in which quarterback Gunner Stockton completed 25 of 32 passes for 295 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. Stockton’s PFN Impact grade of 89.8 through Week 5 ranks 6th of 165 graded and qualified FBS quarterbacks.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart said Monday he was pleased with where Stockton is as a player. “He’s got to continue to get better to give us a chance to get where we want to go.”

“Georgia, they’re gonna be our toughest challenge by far up to this point,” Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said Monday.

Georgia has outscored its five opponents 70-7 in the first quarter, according to DawgNation, and DeBoer singled out those fast starts. “I think that’s the biggest thing, is they come out of the gate swinging, and so, you gotta be ready for that.”

Another fan called Georgia the best team in the country and predicted a win over the Tide. “I think Alabama fans are unrealistically high on this team although they are pretty good.”

Keelon Russell, Home History and Nick Saban’s Pick Make Alabama’s Case

Alabama won 56-23 at then-No. 16 Mississippi State last week as quarterback Keelon Russell completed 16 of 22 passes for 285 yards and three touchdowns. Russell’s PFN Impact grade of 92.2 through Week 5 ranks 3rd of 165 graded and qualified FBS quarterbacks, three spots ahead of Stockton.

Smart said Monday he knew about the sophomore in high school and watched his tape. “I knew he was an elite player, probably the best quarterback in the country coming out.”

Former Alabama coach Nick Saban called Georgia among the most complete teams in the nation on Friday’s The Pat McAfee Show. On ESPN’s College GameDay on Saturday, he said the Bulldogs had dominated every team they had played, then picked his old team. “They haven’t played anybody, but they will play somebody tonight, and the Tide will dominate.”

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Miles Commodore made the same pick. “In my opinion Alabama is the best team in the country and they will prove it tonight.”

Alabama fans do have history to lean on. Smart is 2-7 against the Crimson Tide, and Georgia has not won at Bryant-Denny Stadium since 2007.

Alabama won the teams’ first meeting last season 24-21 in Athens, ending Georgia’s school-record 33-game home winning streak. Georgia answered with a 28-7 win in the SEC Championship Game. At home, Alabama has lost once under DeBoer, 23-21 to Oklahoma last November.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.