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10/10 05:10 CDT Soggy, windy and huge stakes: No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 6 Alabama
takes center stage
Soggy, windy and huge stakes: No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 6 Alabama takes center stage
By MAURA CAREY
AP Sports Writer
It might be soggy. It might be windy. And it might be one of the best games of
the year.
Week 6 of the college football season arrived with a marquee showdown in the
Southeastern Conference: No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 6 Alabama on a Saturday night in
Tuscaloosa shadowed by the arrival of a hurricane along the Gulf Coast.
The game had the usual high stakes that tend to come any time the Bulldogs
(5-0, 3-0 SEC) and Crimson Tide (5-0, 3-0) get together of late: The winner
gets a boost in making the SEC championship game, a top resume-builder for
College Football Playoff seeding and perhaps a chance at bumping No. 1 Texas
out of the top spot in The Associated Press Top 25 on Sunday.
This isn't your typical rivalry where the schools are on each other's schedule
every season. Seven of the last 11 meetings have taken place at neutral sites
--- five SEC championship games and two national title games --- and only four
were regular-season games. That makes this one, with its 7:30 p.m. Eastern
kickoff, worth savoring.
Georgia has not won in in Tuscaloosa since 2007 but has another suffocating
defense and under-the-radar quarterback Gunner Stockton is heading an offense
that leads the nation at 51.4 points per game.
Alabama counters with Heisman Trophy contender Keelon Russell at QB and an
offense averaging 49.6 points per game, third nationaly. Its defense was lights
out a week ago in shutting down Mississippi State and turning a highly
anticipated game into a blowout.
The undercard --- Wake Forest (4-1, 2-1 ACC) plays at N.C. State (3-2, 1-1) in a noon Eastern game with the Demon Deacons knocking on the door of the Top 25. Their lone loss came against No. 4 Miami and they are now seeking a third road win against a power-conference opponent. --- The SEC's third unbeaten team is top-ranked Texas (4-0, 1-0), which faces Oklahoma (2-2, 0-1) in the annual Red River Rivalry game at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas at 3:30 p.m. Eastern. Neither offense is firing on all cylinders and the Sooners will need to protect QB John Mateer from Texas pass-rusher extraordinaire Colin Simmons. --- No. 21 UCLA (4-0, 2-0 Big Ten) visits No. 13 Oregon (3-1, 1-0) in an intriguing game that kicks off at 3:30 p.m. Eastern. First-year UCLA coach Bob Chesney was at James Madison last year when his Dukes lost 51-34 to Oregon in the first round of the playoff. The Ducks will start backup Dylan Raiola in place of injured QB Dante Moore, but Oregon should give UCLA a true measure of how far it has come after beating its first four opponents by an average margin of 26 points. --- No. 22 Houston (4-1, 1-1 Big 12) is at Kansas State (3-1, 0-1) in another 3:30 p.m. Eastern game that will help set the pecking order in a conference top-heavy with No. 8 BYU, No. 11 Texas Tech and No. 12 Utah. Houston's only loss came when the Cougars missed by inches on a 2-point conversion in the final minute of a 28-26 loss at Texas Tech. Kansas State is one of eight Bowl Subdivision teams ranked in the top 25 in total offense, total defense, scoring offense and scoring defense. --- Big Ten after dark? No. 19 Southern California (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) is at Penn State (3-2, 0-2) in the home team's annual "White Out" game with an 8:30 p.m. Eastern kickoff. The Trojans make their first trip to Penn State since 1994 while the home team and first-year coach Matt Campbell are trying to snap a two-game skid that dropped the Nittany Lions out of the Top 25.
Heisman Trophy watch Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith has put together back-to-back 200-yard receiving games to establish himself as the front-runner for the Heisman among the wagering public. Miami's Darian Mensah and Alabama's Russell are listed at 7-to-1. When the Buckeyes host Maryland, Smith could become the first receiver with three 200-yard games in a season since Hawaii's Ashley Lelie in 2001. Smith's 44 catches for 823 yards are the most by an FBS player through five games since Syracuse's Amba Etta-Tawo had 47 for 840 in 2016, according to Sportradar. ___ Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here, visit the Top 25 here and see AP's full college football coverage here
The undercard --- Wake Forest (4-1, 2-1 ACC) plays at N.C. State (3-2, 1-1) in a noon Eastern game with the Demon Deacons knocking on the door of the Top 25. Their lone loss came against No. 4 Miami and they are now seeking a third road win against a power-conference opponent. --- The SEC's third unbeaten team is top-ranked Texas (4-0, 1-0), which faces Oklahoma (2-2, 0-1) in the annual Red River Rivalry game at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas at 3:30 p.m. Eastern. Neither offense is firing on all cylinders and the Sooners will need to protect QB John Mateer from Texas pass-rusher extraordinaire Colin Simmons. --- No. 21 UCLA (4-0, 2-0 Big Ten) visits No. 13 Oregon (3-1, 1-0) in an intriguing game that kicks off at 3:30 p.m. Eastern. First-year UCLA coach Bob Chesney was at James Madison last year when his Dukes lost 51-34 to Oregon in the first round of the playoff. The Ducks will start backup Dylan Raiola in place of injured QB Dante Moore, but Oregon should give UCLA a true measure of how far it has come after beating its first four opponents by an average margin of 26 points. --- No. 22 Houston (4-1, 1-1 Big 12) is at Kansas State (3-1, 0-1) in another 3:30 p.m. Eastern game that will help set the pecking order in a conference top-heavy with No. 8 BYU, No. 11 Texas Tech and No. 12 Utah. Houston's only loss came when the Cougars missed by inches on a 2-point conversion in the final minute of a 28-26 loss at Texas Tech. Kansas State is one of eight Bowl Subdivision teams ranked in the top 25 in total offense, total defense, scoring offense and scoring defense. --- Big Ten after dark? No. 19 Southern California (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) is at Penn State (3-2, 0-2) in the home team's annual "White Out" game with an 8:30 p.m. Eastern kickoff. The Trojans make their first trip to Penn State since 1994 while the home team and first-year coach Matt Campbell are trying to snap a two-game skid that dropped the Nittany Lions out of the Top 25.
Heisman Trophy watch Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith has put together back-to-back 200-yard receiving games to establish himself as the front-runner for the Heisman among the wagering public. Miami's Darian Mensah and Alabama's Russell are listed at 7-to-1. When the Buckeyes host Maryland, Smith could become the first receiver with three 200-yard games in a season since Hawaii's Ashley Lelie in 2001. Smith's 44 catches for 823 yards are the most by an FBS player through five games since Syracuse's Amba Etta-Tawo had 47 for 840 in 2016, according to Sportradar. ___ Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here, visit the Top 25 here and see AP's full college football coverage here
