When the clock ticks down to 0:00 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday, history may not be on Alabama's side. The Crimson Tide will travel to Atlanta to take on Georgia in the SEC title game.
It's the 71st meeting between the two programs, and Alabama has won the last six meetings, but this one has bigger implications than in years' past. A loss will drop Alabama to 11-2 and potentially on the outside looking in of the College Football Playoff for the second time in three years.
MORE: Alabama vs. Georgia betting odds, predictions for 2021 SEC title game
In the history of the College Football Playoff, no two-loss team has ever made it, which doesn't bode well for Alabama should the Crimson Tide lose handily. However, there's supposedly a first time for everything. And there's a sentiment, at least among some in the college football world, that if Alabama plays Georgia close, it could be enough to get a two-loss team into the playoff for the first time.
Against this Georgia team, though, that's easier said than done. Kirby Smart's unit is playing some of the best defense ever in college football. The Bulldogs rank first in the nation in red zone defense (allowing scores on just 54.5 percent of opponent red zone trips), scoring defense (6.92 opponent points per game) and total defense (230.8 yards allowed per game).
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Where Georgia excels defensively, Nick Saban's unit excels offensively. The Tide are second in the nation on third down, converting on 53.9 percent of third down attempts. Similarly, they're fifth in the country in scoring offense (42.7 points per game) and seventh in the country in total offense (492.2 yards per game).
The Bulldogs are looking for their first SEC title and playoff berth since 2017, when Kirby Smart's squad lost to Alabama 26-23 in overtime in the national championship game.
Sporting News has all the information you need to catch the 2021 SEC title game.
MORE: Watch Alabama vs. Georgia live on fuboTV (7-day free trial)
What channel is Alabama vs. Georgia on today?
- TV channel: CBS
- Live stream: CBS Sports App, fuboTV
The SEC Championship meeting between Alabama and Georgia will be broadcast nationally on CBS. Brad Nessler and Gary Danielson will call the game from the booth while Jamie Erdahl will report from the sidelines. You can also stream the game live on Paramount+ or with fuboTV, which offers a free seven-day trial.
Alabama vs. Georgia start time
- Date: Saturday, Dec. 4
- Kickoff: 4 p.m. ET
The 2021 SEC title game between Alabama vs. Georgia will kick off at 4 p.m. ET from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
MORE: College Football Playoff: Alabama could test two-loss rule, and you won't like the final answer
College football schedule Week 14
Saturday, Dec. 4
| Game | Time (ET) | TV channel |
| Big 12: No. 5 Oklahoma State vs. No. 9 Baylor (AT&T Stadium) | Noon | ABC, fuboTV |
| MAC: Kent State vs. Northern Illinois (Ford Field) | Noon | ESPN, fuboTV |
| MWC: Utah State at No. 19 San Diego State | 3 p.m. | Fox, fuboTV |
| Sun Belt: App State at No. 24 Louisiana | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN, fuboTV |
| SEC: No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 3 Alabama (Mercedes-Benz Stadium) | 4 p.m. | CBS, Paramount+, fuboTV |
| AAC: No. 21 Houston at No. 4 Cincinnati | 4 p.m. | ABC, fuboTV |
| Big Ten: No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 13 Iowa (Lucas Oil Stadium) | 8 p.m. | Fox, fuboTV |
| ACC: No. 15 Pitt vs. No. 16 Wake Forest (Bank of America Stadium) | 8 p.m. | ABC, fuboTV |
| USC at Cal* | 11 p.m. | FS1, fuboTV |
The 2021 Orange Bowl features two of college football's bluest blue bloods in Michigan and Georgia.
The second-ranked Wolverines (12-1) will take on the Bulldogs (12-1) in what should be a defense-heavy matchup that will impact both teams' search for a long-awaited national championship.
MORE: College football bowl picks, predictions for all 43 postseason games in 2021-22
Michigan's most recent national championship came in 1997, a year in which the Wolverines split the championship with Nebraska (Michigan won the AP vote, while the Coaches Poll went with Nebraska). A win vs. the Bulldogs would put Michigan one win away from claiming its first championship in 24 years.
Georgia has gone even longer without a title, having last won it all in 1980. The Bulldogs have come achingly close since then, falling a game shy of competing for the championship in 1982, 2002, 2012, 2017, 2018 and 2019. Kirby Smart had Georgia on the cusp in 2017, losing in overtime to Alabama in the championship game. Will this be the year the Bulldogs finally break through?
If so, they will need to go through a fantastic Michigan team that is peaking at the right point of the season, coming off victories over No. 2 Ohio State and No. 13 Iowa in which the Wolverines outscored their opponents 84-30. Heisman Trophy finalist Aidan Hutchinson has been a bona fide nightmare for quarterbacks, and the Bulldogs will need to make sure he doesn't terrorize presumed starter Stetson Bennett.
Conversely, Georgia's defense is one of the best units college football has seen in several years, featuring such talents as Jordan Davis, Nakobe Dean and safety Lewis Cine, among others. It will be a tremendous task for quarterback Cade McNamara to traverse that defense.
With that, Sporting News breaks down how to watch the 2021 College Football Playoff semifinal between Georgia and Michigan:
MORE: Watch Michigan vs. Georgia live with fuboTV (7-day free trial)
What channel is Michigan vs. Georgia on today?
- TV channel (national): ESPN
- Live stream: ESPN App, fuboTV
The Orange Bowl semifinal between No. 2 Michigan and No. 3 Georgia will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. Chris Fowler (play-by-play) and Kirk Herbstreit (analyst) will call the game from the booth, while Holly Rowe and Marty Smith will report from the sidelines. You can also stream the game with the ESPN app or live with fuboTV, which offers a free seven-day trial.
ESPN is also rolling out its Megacast for the College Football Playoff, once again providing alternate broadcasts across its family of networks. Here's the full rundown.
| Telecast | TV channel |
| Command Center | ESPN2 |
| Skycast | ESPNU |
| All-22 | ESPN News |
| Spanish language | ESPN Deportes |
Michigan vs. Georgia start time
- Date: Friday, Dec. 31
- Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
Michigan vs. Georgia will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
CFP ODDS: Why Michigan can win | Why Georgia can win
Michigan schedule 2021
| Opponent | Date | Outcome |
| vs. Western Michigan | Sept. 4 | Michigan 47, Western Michigan 14 |
| vs. Washington | Sept. 11 | Michigan 31, Washington 10 |
| vs. Northern Illinois | Sept. 18 | Michigan 63, Northern Illinois 10 |
| vs. Rutgers | Sept. 25 | Michigan 20, Rutgers 13 |
| at Wisconsin | Oct. 2 | Michigan 38, Wisconsin 17 |
| at Nebraska | Oct. 9 | Michigan 32, Nebraska 29 |
| Bye | Oct. 16 | N/A |
| vs. Northwestern | Oct. 23 | Michigan 33, Northwestern 7 |
| at No. 8 Michigan State | Oct. 30 | Michigan State 37, Michigan 33 |
| vs. Indiana | Nov. 6 | Michigan 28, Indiana 7 |
| at Penn State | Nov. 13 | Michigan 21, Penn State 17 |
| at Maryland | Nov. 20 | Michigan 59, Maryland 18 |
| vs. No. 2 Ohio State | Nov. 27 | Michigan 42, Ohio State 27 |
| vs. No. 13 Iowa (Big Ten championship) | Dec. 4 | Michigan 42, Iowa 3 |
| vs. No. 3 Georgia (CFP semifinal) | Dec. 31 | TBD |
Georgia schedule 2021
| Opponent | Date | Outcome |
| vs. No. 3 Clemson (Charlotte, N.C.) | Sept. 4 | Georgia 10, Clemson 3 |
| vs. UAB | Sept. 11 | Georgia 56, UAB 7 |
| vs. South Carolina | Sept. 18 | Georgia 49, South Carolina 13 |
| at Vanderbilt | Sept. 25 | Georgia 62, Vanderbilt 0 |
| vs. No. 8 Arkansas | Oct. 2 | Georgia 37, Arkansas 0 |
| at No. 18 Auburn | Oct. 9 | Georgia 34, Auburn 10 |
| vs. No. 11 Kentucky | Oct. 16 | Georgia 30, Kentucky 13 |
| Bye | Oct. 23 | N/A |
| vs. Florida (Jacksonville, Fla.) | Oct. 30 | Georgia 34, Florida 7 |
| vs. Missouri | Nov. 6 | Georgia 43, Missouri 6 |
| at Tennessee | Nov. 13 | Georgia 41, Tennessee 17 |
| vs. Charleston Southern | Nov. 20 | Georgia 56, Charleston Southern 7 |
| at Georgia Tech | Nov. 26 | Georgia 45, Georgia Tech 0 |
| vs. No. 3 Alabama (SEC championship) | Dec. 4 | Alabama 41, Georgia 24 |
| vs. No. 2 Michigan (CFP semifinal) | Dec. 31 | TBD |