A much-anticipated rematch serves as the backdrop for the 2018 SEC Championship Game as the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide (12-0) face the fourth-ranked Georgia Bulldogs (11-1) on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET on CBS. The SEC Championship is sure to send the winner to the College Football Playoff, where these programs met last year in a memorable championship game. Alabama rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit to win 26-23 in overtime. Georgia won the SEC title last year to end Alabama's run of three straight conference championships, but the Tide went on to win their fourth national title this decade under coach Nick Saban. The Crimson Tide are 12-point favorites in the latest Alabama vs. Georgia odds, down from an opener of 13.5 in most markets. The over-under for total points is set at 64. Before you lock in your own Alabama vs. Georgia picks, check out what SportsLine senior analyst Josh Nagel has to say.
A Nevada-based expert with 20 years of experience in the sports wagering industry, Nagel specializes in handicapping college football. He has had another strong year, hitting 60 percent of his spread selections for SportsLine members. Moreover, he has had a keen eye for the tendencies of these programs and boasts a record of 9-4 on against the spread picks involving Georgia or Alabama.
Nagel advised SportsLine members to anticipate Georgia's late-season surge and recommended backing the Bulldogs (-9) in their key matchup at Kentucky. The result: the Bulldogs rolled to a 34-17 win to clinch the SEC East, and anyone who followed Nagel's advice pocketed a comfortable winner.
Now, he has analyzed Alabama vs. Georgia in the 2018 SEC Championship Game (stream live on fuboTV) from every angle and released a confident against the spread pick that is available at SportsLine.
A major concern for the Bulldogs this season was filling the shoes of Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, who formed one of the top backfield duos in college football. They were both early selections in the NFL draft, but the Bulldogs appear to have reloaded with another dynamic combination in sophomore D'Andre Swift and junior Elijah Holyfield. They have combined for 1,858 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Georgia averages 260.3 rushing yards per contest, ranking No. 11 in the country. Sophomore Jake Fromm has had a standout season in his second year as the starting quarterback. He is completing 69 percent of his passes for 2,236 yards and 24 touchdowns against five interceptions. The Bulldogs rank No. 13 nationally in scoring offense at 40.1 points per game.
The Bulldogs will need another complete performance in order to cover against an Alabama club that has been crushing SEC opponents and college football spreads in the process.
The Crimson Tide have covered the spread in six of their eight SEC wins, including a run of five straight heading into the SEC Championship Game. They used a huge second half to throttle Auburn, 52-21, last week in the Iron Bowl.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa made his memorable debut when he replaced an ineffective Jalen Hurts in the second half of last year's title game against Georgia. He returned along with a loaded supporting cast to lead the Crimson Tide to the nation's second-best scoring offense at 49 points per game.
We can tell you Nagel is leaning toward the Under, but his much stronger play is on the spread. He has analyzed Georgia vs. Alabama from every angle and unearthed the critical factor that he believes causes one side of the spread to hit hard. He's sharing what it is, and who to back, only at SportsLine.
Who covers in Alabama vs. Georgia? And what critical factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side you need to jump on in the SEC Championship, all from a senior analyst who's hitting nearly 70 percent of his picks involving these teams, and find out.
