Should Alabama be No. 1 in the rankings if they beat Georgia?
By Austen Bundy
Saturday's Week 5 college football slate offers a Top 5 heavyweight bout usually reserved for late November.
No. 2 Georgia and No. 4 Alabama will face off in Tuscaloosa for the first time since last year's SEC Championship Game. The Bulldogs will be looking for revenge after the Crimson Tide knocked them out of the College Football Playoff and ended chances of a three-peat as national champions.
But if Alabama continues it's trend of dominating Georgia (it's won six of the last seven meetings) then it could make a serious case to AP voters that a new No. 1 might've arrived.
Does Alabama deserve the No. 1 spot if it beats Georgia?
Normally, a No. 4 team beating a No. 2 team doesn't automatically shoot the winner up to the top spot. But these aren't normal times in college football and it is Alabama we're talking about.
It always feels like AP voters are waiting for their chance to pounce on Alabama in the poll one way or another but in more cases than not it's usually to the Tide's benefit. Of course, Alabama's ascension is contingent on a victory and the performance put on by the current No. 1, Texas.
Even if it did beat Georgia, a loss by Texas (which is unlikely) or a pretty poor showing in a win over lowly Mississippi State would be the only scenarios providing Alabama with a shot at rising to the top again.
Surprisingly, Alabama has not been ranked No. 1 in the AP poll since Week 6 of the 2022 season. Its 31 week streak of not being the best team in the nation is its longest since a 141 week-long streak from 1993-2008.
Alabama is a home dog for the first time since 2007 but the program's past record against Georgia head coach Kirby Smart is encouraging even without the legendary Nick Saban leading them out of the tunnel this time around.
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