TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – When the 2024-2025 college football schedule was released in the offseason, one of the games that immediately drew the attention of fans across the country was Georgia coming to Tuscaloosa.

At the time of the schedule announcement, Kalen DeBoer had just arrived in Tuscaloosa as the new head coach and the Crimson Tide were facing uncertainty on how its roster would look. 

After keeping the majority of the key pieces and bringing plenty of transfers on both the offense and defensive side of the ball, Alabama finds itself ranked fourth in the country with a 3-0 record as they prepare for a rematch of last season’s SEC Championship game against the Georgia Bulldogs.

Both teams are coming off a bye in preparation for Saturday night’s clash of two college football titans. 

The Crimson Tide cruised into its bye week with a 42-10 victory on the road against the Wisconsin Badgers. Quarterback Jalen Milroe got it done with his arm and on the ground, passing for three touchdowns and running for two more. 

Georgia is coming off a scare on the road at Kentucky in their conference opener. The Bulldogs snuck past Kentucky 13-12 in a defensive slug fest. Georgia moved down from the top ranking to the second spot after surviving a would-be upset.

Not only is this DeBoer’s first SEC game as the Alabama head coach, but it is also his first ranked game since taking the helm.

“For us, it’s really just honing in and trying to simplify it down,” DeBoer said. “It’s a battle that’s going to happen on Saturday, but our preparation is 100% where it needs to be.”

Saturday’s game is almost certain to have major implications on SEC Championship spots as well as seeding for the playoffs. The winner bolsters their resume for the postseason and puts themself on an inside track to the SEC Championship while the loser will likely not have control of their own destiny in winning the conference.

The game will also have many celebrities in attendance, including former President Donald Trump who will be in attendance.

“I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of celebrity-type people here, people that want to come be a part of what’s happening on Saturday,” DeBoer said. “So, it’d be great to everyone who wants to come watch be here.”

In the last meeting, Alabama beat Georgia in last year’s SEC Championship. The win ended up being enough to jump into last season’s College Football Playoff.

Saturday’s game will be the first time since 2007 Georgia will play at Bryant-Denny Stadium in front of a full crowd. Georgia visited Tuscaloosa in 2020, however, the stadium was not at full capacity due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The long-awaited matchup will kickoff at 6:30 p.m. CT Saturday as Tuscaloosa will host College Gameday Saturday morning at 8 a.m. CT.