Georgia · SECGeorgia tests Smart’s record against Alabama
The unbeaten SEC contenders meet Saturday, Oct. 10, with Smart carrying a 2-7 record against the Crimson Tide and both teams’ playoff paths at stake.
OCT 9, 2026
Smart’s record against Alabama
Smart’s record against every other opponent
Georgia losses to Alabama decided by one score
01 · The NewsGeorgia tests Smart’s record against Alabama
When No. 2 Georgia visits No. 7 Alabama on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 7:30 p.m. ET, two unbeaten SEC teams will put Kirby Smart’s most persistent problem back in the middle of the season.
Georgia is 5-0 and has won four SEC championships and two national titles under Smart. Yet his Bulldogs are 2-7 against Alabama, compared with 120-14 against every other opponent during his Georgia tenure. Since 2017, the split is 2-7 against the Crimson Tide and 112-9 against the rest.
Asked about the record after a 2024 loss, Smart said: “What’s everybody else’s record against them? Anybody got one better than 1-6 that’s played them six times? I don’t think so.”
Both teams have started 5-0 with heavy scoring. Georgia has scored at least 38 points in every game, including a 41-13 win over Oklahoma on Sept. 26. Alabama has scored at least 45 in each game and reached 50 against Florida State and Mississippi State.
The record also hides how close the series has been. Five of Georgia’s seven losses to Alabama under Smart were decided by one score, including Alabama’s 24-21 victory in 2025 that ended Georgia’s 33-game home winning streak, which began in 2019. Smart is 1-2 against Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer and was 1-5 against Nick Saban.
Josh Pate’s preseason bracket picked Georgia to win the national championship and included Alabama in the playoff field. Saturday’s game directly tests both calls, along with Georgia’s route through the SEC.
For Smart, Alabama remains the opponent his otherwise dominant Georgia record cannot bury.
02 · The StakesWhat’s at stake
That makes the game more than an early clash between ranked teams. A Georgia win would strengthen the Bulldogs’ path to the SEC championship game and College Football Playoff while clearing the clearest obstacle in Smart’s championship run. Another Alabama victory would extend the Tide’s hold over the rivalry.
03 · The Detail Beneath the HeadlineWhat Most People Are Missing
Georgia’s five wins carry a 257-67 aggregate score, compared with Alabama’s 248-104. The 46-point gap in cumulative margin comes mostly from defense: Georgia has allowed 37 fewer points, while its offense has scored nine more. Georgia’s average margin is 38 points; Alabama’s is 28.8.
That shifts the hidden test from Smart’s history to Alabama’s ability to change Georgia’s 2026 profile. No opponent has held the Bulldogs below 38, and none has scored more than 20 against them. Alabama has reached 45 in every game, but it also allowed 36 to Florida State on Sept. 19.
“What’s everybody else’s record against them? Anybody got one better than 1-6 that’s played them six times? I don’t think so.”
Kirby Smart04 · The Open QuestionsQuestions to Be Answered
Can the loser keep the Oct. 10 result from carrying into the next game?
Georgia gets Auburn at home on Oct. 17, while Alabama must visit Tennessee and then host Texas A&M on Oct. 24. That gives Alabama the tighter postgame runway and makes the Oct. 17 results the first concrete measure of whether the Oct. 10 loser absorbed one defeat or allowed it to reshape October.
05 · The Watch ListWhat We're Watching
Can Georgia keep its scoring floor?
Georgia has scored at least 38 points in every game.
Can Alabama keep its scoring pace?
Alabama has scored at least 45 in each game and reached 50 against Florida State and Mississippi State.