Fourth-seeded Alabama begins the week as an underdog at home against second-seeded Georgia in a matchup Saturday in the Southeast Championship in Tuscaloosa.
The consensus on Monday was that the Crimson Tide were a two-point underdog to the Bulldogs at the bookmakers, but the line has shifted toward Alabama.
The Crimson Tide have been the favorite to win 90 straight home games, dating back to 2007 against LSU, and haven’t been the underdog in a regular-season game since 2015 against Georgia. Barring a notable line move, both series will end against the Bulldogs.
The first game of the summer had Georgia ahead by 4.5 points, as bookmakers tried to gauge any Alabama regression with coach Nick Sabin’s departure. But bookmakers say the Crimson Tide have been the more impressive team this season.
In July, Chris Andrews, a veteran Las Vegas oddsmaker with South Point, opened Georgia as a 4.5-point favorite over Alabama in his first major college football game. His perception of both teams has changed over the first month of the season.
“I know Georgia is good, really good. But it’s not great; it’s not as good as it was last year,” Andrews told ESPN, adding that he plans to offer a shaded line on Alabama compared to competing bookmakers this week.
Several sports betting sites, including ESPN BET, projected Georgia to be -1.5 on Monday, while the line at FanDuel and BetMGM remained at -2.5.