Georgia vs. Alabama odds, picks, predictions, best bets, start time for Week 6 college football SEC showdown

It's a massive matchup that will influence the teams' SEC and national title hopes when No. 2 Georgia visits No. 6 Alabama on Saturday night

The No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs will visit the sixth-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in a massive Southeastern Conference showdown Saturday in college football Week 6. Both teams are unbeaten, with quarterback Gunner Stockton and Georgia winning all five games by at least 24 points. The Tide are also 5-0, and their closest win was by 14 points as quarterback Keelon Russell has emerged as a force. Both teams are also 3-0 in the SEC, so this matchup will have a major impact on the conference and national title races, though weather could become a problem with a tropical system in the Gulf of Mexico. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and the Tide are 1.5-point home favorites in the latest Georgia vs. Alabama odds. The game total is set at 52.5. Bet on Georgia vs. Alabama in Week 6 at DraftKings and get $150 in bonus bets when you spend $5+:

We are breaking down the latest Georgia vs. Alabama odds from DraftKings Sportsbook and highlighting our best bet for the matchup using the SportsLine Projection Model. The model simulates every FBS game 10,000 times. It enters Week 6 on a profitable 40-35 run on all top-rated college football picks at the best betting sites. Anybody following its picks for college football betting could have seen strong returns. 

Georgia vs. Alabama betting odds (via DraftKings)

Georgia vs. Alabama betting preview

These are the top two scoring offenses in the SEC, with Georgia averaging 51.4 points and Bama at 49.6 per game. Neither defense allows many points, with UGA second in the conference at 13.4 and the Tide allowing just under 21 per game. Stockton and Russell have both been playing at a high level, and the one who leads his team to victory Saturday could emerge as a real Heisman contender. Russell is currently the +800 third favorite at DraftKings, and Stockton is the +2900 sixth choice.

Alabama's closest game was a 50-36 victory at Florida State, which beat the Tide last year, while Georgia's closest call was a 38-14 home victory against Vanderbilt last week. That was UGA's lowest point total of the season, while Alabama has scored at least 45 points in every contest. Russell has 1,414 passing yards (second in SEC), and the sophomore has accounted for 15 touchdowns while throwing just two interceptions. The senior Stockton has 1,047 passing yards and 13 touchdowns to just one interception. The Alabama quarterback has been sacked 11 times, while Stockton has only gone down five times. The Tide have the stronger pass rush, sitting second in the SEC with 16 sacks, while Georgia is tied for ninth with 13. 

Russell has also rushed 184 yards to complement three running backs who have topped 200, led by Daniel Hill with 247. Trae'shawn Brown leads the team with five rushing TDs, and EJ Crowell averages 7.8 yards per carry. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, allow an SEC-low 57.4 rushing yards per game. Bama yields 78.6 (third), and they will be tasked with stopping Nate Frazier (211 yards, five TDs) and Dwight Phillips Jr. (160 yards, one TD), as both running backs average 8 yards per carry. They are among five Georgia rushers who have more than 100 yards, including Stockton (122).      

Alabama's Ryan Coleman-Williams will be one of the biggest playmakers on the field, and the sometimes-maligned receiver has 376 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 18.8 yards per reception. Teammate Lotzeir Brooks averages almost 17, posting 352 yards for the season. Stockton gets the ball out quickly and spreads the ball around, with Craig Dandridge (17.9 per catch) and Talyn Taylor (three TDs) leading five pass-catchers withat least 100 yards. That includes running back Chauncey Bowens (132, 6 total TDs) and tight end Lawson Luckie (111, one TD).

The points these teams have put up through five games have overshadowed the work of the defenses, and those units will decide this one. There is real firepower on both sides, so whichever team stands up to these potent offenses (or takes the ball away) will have the inside track. The Tide have taken the ball away 15 times, returning four interceptions for touchdowns, while Georgia has 10 takeways, taking an interception and a fumble recovery back for scores.

Devan Thompkins (three sacks) and Terrance Green (2.5) and linebackers Caleb Woodson (2 sacks) and Luke Metz (team-high 38 tackles) help form a strong core for the Bama defense. The Bulldogs are also strong in the middle, with linebackers Raylen Wilson (team-high 27 tackles, 3 sacks) and Chris Cole (1.5 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries) among the playmakers. Get $250 in bonus bets after betting $5+ for five days with the FanDuel promo code:

Georgia vs. Alabama picks, prediction

Under 52.5

As noted above, this one is likely to be decided by defense, and with the teams looking so similar, the SportsLine model is on the fence regarding the result. It is leaning toward Georgia to cover (47% of simulations) and to win at plus-money (50%), but its obvious strongest play is an Over/Under bet. It has Under 52.5 points hitting in a massive 74.8% of its simulations for a rare 'A' grade. All five of both teams' games have gone Over their game totals this season, but neither has faced a defense of the caliber they will see Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium.