Bama a home underdog for 1st time since 2007

• David Purdum, ESPN Staff WriterSep 23, 2024, 09:15 AM ET

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  • Joined ESPN in 2014
  • Journalist covering gambling industry since 2008

No. 4 Alabama begins the week as a rare home underdog to No. 2 Georgia in Saturday’s SEC showdown in Tuscaloosa.

The Crimson Tide on Monday were consensus 2-point underdogs to the Bulldogs at sportsbooks, but the line has been shifting toward Alabama.

The Crimson Tide have been favored in 90 consecutive home games, dating back to 2007 against LSU, and haven’t been underdogs in any regular-season game since 2015 against Georgia. Barring notable line movement, both streaks will end against the Bulldogs.

The earliest point spread on the game from over the summer had Georgia favored by 4.5, as oddsmakers tried to assess any dropoff for Alabama with the departure of coach Nick Saban. But oddsmakers say the Crimson Tide have been the more impressive team this season.

In July, Chris Andrews, a veteran Las Vegas oddsmaker with the South Point, opened Georgia as a 4.5-point favorite over Alabama in his early lines on big college football games. His perception of the two teams has shifted over the first month of the season.

“I know that Georgia’s good, really good. But they haven’t been great; they haven’t been as good as they were last year,” Andrews told ESPN, adding that he plans to offer a line shaded toward Alabama compared to competing sportsbooks this week.

Multiple sportsbooks, including ESPN BET, had Georgia -1.5 on Monday, while the line at FanDuel and BetMGM sat at -2.5.