Alabama vs. Georgia: Preview and Predictions for SEC Championship 2023

The 2023 SEC Championship Game will mark the first meeting between Alabama and Georgia in 23 months.

Their last matchup was the 2022 College Football Playoff Championship won by the Bulldogs, who avenged their loss to 'Bama in the SEC title game five weeks earlier.

It was also the first time in five games Nick Saban was defeated by Kirby Smart, who was an assistant on Alabama's coaching staff for nine seasons before getting hired by Georgia in December 2015.

The stakes for Saturday's matchup are almost as high as that last meeting. Georgia is the No. 1 team in the nation and hasn't lost since the 2021 SEC Championship Game, a streak of 29 consecutive games.

Alabama is No. 8 in the College Football Playoff rankings with an outside shot to make the top four with a win. The Bulldogs could potentially still get in with a loss since they've been the No. 1 team in the nation since the first preseason poll was released in August.

Looking ahead to the epic matchup between the SEC superpowers, here is the biggest question for each team.

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How Does Jalen Milroe Perform vs. An Elite Defense?

Yes, it's simple and basic to single out the quarterback as the biggest question in a game between two great teams.

But there was a time earlier this season when Alabama's offense looked to be in real trouble. Jalen Milroe was benched for the third game of the season against South Florida after struggling the previous week in a 34-24 loss to Texas.

Things actually got worse in the South Florida game because true freshman Tyler Buchner was benched after going 5-of-14 for 34 yards in five drives that gained a total of 78 yards and resulted in five punts.

Ty Simpson replaced Buchner, going 5-of-9 for 73 yards. Alabama needed two second-half touchdowns to get a 17-3 win over the Bulls.

Since Milroe was put back in the starting lineup against Mississippi on Sept. 23, he's completed 67.9 percent of his attempts for 2,077 yards with 16 touchdowns and four interceptions.

Eight of those touchdowns have come in the past three games, including the 31-yard miracle on 4th-and-goal against Auburn last weekend to keep Alabama's SEC title and playoff hopes alive.

While there's no doubt Milroe has played much better as this season has gone on, the slate of defenses he's been doing it against is nothing compared to what he will see against Georgia.

Just going by points allowed per game, the best defense Milroe has played during this streak was Texas A&M five weeks before Jimbo Fisher was fired by the program.

Georgia ranks sixth in the nation with 15.8 points allowed per game. Georgia Tech was able to hang around with the Bulldogs last week by running for 205 yards and not asking quarterback Haynes King to do too much.

It's certainly possible that formula could work for Alabama, though Jase McClellan's status for this game is up in the air due to a foot injury. McClellan and Roydell Williams have combined for 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground.

Milroe is capable of using his legs to create plays that can cause problems for Georgia if its defense doesn't stay disciplined.

But the odds of 'Bama being able to do enough on offense by limiting Milroe as a passer seem pretty low, especially since the defense has allowed at least 20 points to each of its last six FBS opponents.

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Will Georgia's Offensive Line Continue to Hold Up?

Georgia has done a great job of navigating several key injuries this season, most notably to Ladd McConkey and Brock Bowers. Head coach Kirby Smart has said both players will attempt to play on Saturday.

If either or both of them are back and effective in this game, it will provide a huge boost to the Bulldogs' passing game. Bowers, who has missed three games this season, still leads the team 661 receiving yards and six touchdowns.

The biggest test for Georgia will be on the offensive line. Tate Ratledge is dealing with a knee injury that kept him out of last week's win over Tennessee, but is expected to play against Alabama.

Per CBS Sports' Barrett Sallee, the Bulldogs rank in the top 11 nationally in sacks allowed and tackles for loss allowed per game.

On the other side of the line, Alabama is tied for 10th in the nation with 36 sacks. Dallas Turner, Chris Braswell and Justin Eboigbe all have at least 10.5 tackles for loss.

As good as the Crimson Tide pass rush has been, Smart and the Georgia staff were no doubt studying last week's tape against Auburn.

The Tigers controlled most of that game by building their game plan almost entirely around running the ball. They had 244 yards and two touchdowns on 44 carries. Payton Thorne only attempted 16 passes, completing five of them for one touchdown and two interceptions.

If Auburn was able to have that much success against Alabama with its quarterback playing so poorly, Georgia will presumably be able to do more because it has more talent.

Prediction: Georgia 34, Alabama 27