SEC TV info: CFP race heats up, Alabama looks to recover from Georgia

The SEC race and College Football Playoff field positioning have arrived in compelling fashion.

The No. 1-ranked Georgia Bulldogs will look to get to the first-half-of-the-season finish line on Saturday with a 3:30 p.m. ESPN matchup against a fresh and upset-minded Auburn team coming off a bye week.

Georgia came out of its battle with Alabama in Tuscaloosa a banged-up football team with questions in its backfield and secondary that will test Kirby Smart’s roster management — UGA could have as many as 10 games left after the bye week, depending on how the CFP bracket shakes out and the depth of the Bulldogs’ run.

The Crimson Tide is in a much more perilous position as it heads to Tennessee for a 3:30 p.m. ABC showdown on Saturday against a No. 14-ranked Vols team that could have CFP potential with a win over Alabama.

Tennessee features tailback DeSean Bishop, who ranks seventh in the nation with 678 yards rushing, and the team ranks 15th in the country with 228.3 yards per game on the ground.

“They’re such a downhill running team,” Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said. “It’s the identity of who they are.”

The Vols also have a good defense, ranking 12th in the nation in pass-efficiency defense, making it a strength-on-strength matchup against the Tide’s talented quarterback, Keelon Russell.

“The crowd noise will be an obvious factor for us; it’s one of the loudest places in the country,” Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said.

“I know there were some issues for us back in 2024. We don’t want this to get on top of us; there’s 100-plus thousand in there.”

Grubb said Alabama will have some “guys settling into new spots” after explosive receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams took some hits against Georgia that will have him sidelined this week, and center Racin Delgatty was banged up enough that the Tide has listed him as “questionable” for the game.

Tennessee, meanwhile, has a complex quarterback situation with season-starter Faizon Brandon listed as questionable while George MacIntyre prepares for what’s expected to be his second career start after a choppy 24-17 road win over a tougher-than-expected Arkansas.

Missouri at Ole Miss is another featured matchup featuring one-loss teams looking to stay in the hunt for the SEC title game and CFP field.

The Tigers have been tougher than expected, featuring SEC-leading rusher Jamal Roberts and a top-10 rushing defense, while the Rebels counter with playmaking sensation Trinidad Chambliss and a talented back in Kewan Lacy making his second appearance since being out with a shoulder injury.