SEC college football

Alabama has returned to No. 1 in The Associated Press college football poll for the first time in two years following its dizzying victory over Georgia, making this 16 of 17 seasons the Crimson Tide have held the top spot at some point. Alabama received 40 of 63 first-place votes and leapfrogged three teams to take over No. 1 from Texas.

No. 2 Georgia and No. 4 Alabama played a classic, a wild affair that included a 28-0 run by the Crimson Tide to start the game and a resilient comeback by the Bulldogs. When it was done, Carson Beck and Jalen Milroe had combined for 939 total yards and seven touchdowns in a thriller between Southeastern Conference superpowers.

Ryan Williams caught a 75-yard touchdown pass from Jalen Milroe with 2:18 left and No. 4 Alabama beat No. 2 Georgia 41-34 on Saturday night in a wild Southeastern Conference debut for Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer. Then, Alabama's other freshman sporting a No. 2 jersey, defensive back Zabien Brown, intercepted a Carson Beck's pass in the end zone to secure the victory.

Jalen Milroe is always a threat to break loose for a long run or uncork a deep ball. Carson Beck is a big-game veteran who makes few mistakes and could well wind up being the No. 1 NFL draft pick. Now, the two quarterbacks are set to meet for Round 2 Saturday night when Beck leads No. 2 Georgia against Milroe and fourth-ranked Alabama.

Second-ranked Georgia and No. 4 Alabama meet again, albeit earlier than usual and just 10 months after ‘Bama’s 27-24 SEC championship-game victory derailed the ‘Dawgs’ quest to win a third consecutive national title.

A large part of Alabama continues to be at risk of flooding through Friday morning as Helene is predicted to intensify as it crosses the Gulf of Mexico. Football fans are also wondering about the weather conditions with the high-stakes game between Georgia and Alabama set for Saturday.

No. 2 Georgia visits No. 4 Alabama on Saturday night for a Southeastern Conference opener and only their third regular-season meeting since 2015. Of the last eight matchups, four have come in SEC title games and two in College Football Playoff championship games.

The No. 4-ranked University of Alabama is facing off against the No. 2-ranked University of Georgia in Tuscaloosa on Saturday, Sept. 28. Both teams are undefeated. The Bulldogs are 2-point favorites in the latest Alabama vs. Georgia odds via SportsLine consensus.

Fans of The University of Alabama and Auburn University can compete in the realm of citizen science through the annual Marble Bowl. Participants can do so by submitting observations of wild plants, animals and fungi to one of two projects on the iNaturalist platform.

Alabama believes it has learned from its unexpectedly close call as it prepares to make a rare trip north. The fourth-ranked Crimson Tide’s visit to Wisconsin on Saturday marks the first time they’ve played a true road game against a school from north of the Mason-Dixon Line since a 27-11 victory at Penn State in 2011.