The 2023 SEC Championship game will take place on Saturday afternoon and will feature the #1-ranked Georgia Bulldogs taking on the 8^th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in Atlanta, Georgia at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium with kickoff scheduled for 4:00 PM ET, and the game will air on CBS.

The Georgia Bulldogs have been ranked 1^st in the AP and Coaches Poll from the start of the season while also being ranked 1^st in the College Football Playoff rankings since they were released as the Bulldogs are back-to-back National Champions and are looking to add their 3^rd in a row as they enter this game with a record of 12-0 which led to an SEC East division championship and with a win they will be playing for the 3^rd year in a row in the college football playoffs. 

The Bulldogs have had one of the best scoring defenses in college football as they enter this game allowing an average of 15.75 points per game which ranks 6^th in college football and they have one of the best scoring offenses in college football as well as they enter this game averaging the 8^th most points per game with an average of 39.58 points per game while having one of the best passing offenses in college football as they are averaging the 7^th most passing yards per game with an average of 305.42 passing yards per game. 

Carson Beck has had a phenomenal season even without having one of the best playmakers on offense, Brock Bowers, for the last few games as he enters this game having completed 268 of 370 attempts for 3,495 yards with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions while rushing for three touchdowns. The Bulldogs will be looking for their 2^nd consecutive SEC Championship and their 5^th overall on Saturday night.

At the beginning of the season, many were wondering if the Alabama football dynasty was over and many were expecting the Crimson Tide to lose more games following their week 2 loss at home against the Texas Longhorns by a score of 24-34, however, that proved to not be the case as they enter this game with a record of 11-1 and have won ten games in a row following a close call in the Iron Bowl in which they needed to convert a 4^th and Goal from the 31-yard line to win the game, however, they converted it with a passing touchdown from Jalen Milroe to Isaiah Bond in the back corner of the endzone to pull off the 27-24 win in what was one of the best Iron Bowls in the series history. 

Like the team, Jalen Milroe has progressed nicely as the season has continued as he enters this game having completed 158 of 238 attempts for 2,526 yards with 21 touchdowns and six interceptions while rushing for 439 yards and 12 touchdowns. The offense has become one of the better scoring offenses in college football as they enter this game averaging 35.75 points per game which ranks 18^th in college football while also having one of the best scoring defenses as they are allowing an average of 17.92 points per game which ranks 15^th in college football. Alabama has played in the SEC Championship more than any other team and as this will be their 15^th SEC Championship game they have won ten of the previous 14 they have played in including the most recent one in 2021 when they beat the Georgia Bulldogs by a score of 41-24.

BookMaker has the Georgia Bulldogs listed as 5-point favorites against the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday afternoon in the SEC Championship game. Alabama has won seven of the last ten and two of the last three meetings. The Bulldogs are 5-4-1 ATS in the last ten while the Crimson Tide are 2-1 ATS in the last three games in the series. The Georgia Bulldogs are 4-7-1 ATS overall, 4-7-1 ATS as a favorite, and 4-4 ATS in conference games this season while the Alabama Crimson Tide are 8-4 ATS overall and 6-2 ATS in conference games on the year.

The last time Georgia lost a football game was in 2021 and that game came in the SEC Championship game against the Alabama Crimson Tide by a score of 24-41, however, the Bulldogs would avenge the loss in the National Championship game that same season. 

Alabama has been the better team in the series, winning seven of the last ten and two of the last three meetings while being the better team most recently in the series at covering the spread as they are 2-1 ATS in the last three matchups and have been the better team at covering the spread this season as they are 8-4 ATS overall and 6-2 ATS in conference games while the Bulldogs are 4-7-1 ATS overall and 4-4 ATS in conference games. I look for those trends to continue which is why I am taking the points with the Alabama Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship game on Saturday afternoon.