Illinois and Penn State will also battle in a top 25 Big Ten matchup, with the Fighting Illini looking to upset quarterback Drew Allar a week after knocking off Dylan Raiola and Nebraska.
Week four of the college football season didn’t provide many upsets or shocking outcomes, outside of Colorado’s hail mary effort against Baylor and Illinois going into Nebraska and defeating hotshot freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola. On the week five slate, the biggest matchup of the year lies ahead with the second-ranked Georgia Bulldogs set to battle its fiercest rival in the fourth-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide. Head coach Kirby Smart has had good overall success against the Crimson Tide in recent history, but Alabama claimed the latest victory in the 2023 SEC Championship Game.
This year’s edition will feature the starting quarterbacks of last year’s upset, with Carson Beck leading the Bulldogs once again while Jalen Milroe looks to continue building an NFL Draft case for himself in 2024. Georgia features the number one passing defense in the country, but will be put to the test as Milroe has passed for 590 yards and eight touchdowns while also accounting for six scores on the ground.
The Bulldogs defense is led by safety Malaki Starks and has only allowed 91.3 yards per game through the air and no passing touchdown through three contests. Alabama is also the only team that has defeated Beck in his starting career as the second-year signal caller is 6-1 against top 20 teams, throwing for 1,971 yards and 15 touchdowns against just two interceptions in those games.
Milroe has a not-so-secret weapon in the form of 17-year old freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams, who has already flashed as one of the SEC’s most feared weapons. While Alabama has yet to face a defense the caliber of Georgia, Williams has still produced 10 catches for 285 yards and four touchdowns on his own, meaning Starks and company will have a long day on their hands trying to keep up with the speedy newcomer.
Kirby is a protege of former Alabama head coach Nick Saban, and only 1-5 against Alabama during his tenure with Georgia, but Saban is no longer roaming the sidelines after stepping down and retiring last winter. The Crimson Tide went out and hired former Washington Huskies head coach Kalen DeBoer to run the program after leading his former squad to the National Title game last season.
On ESPN Bet, Georgia is favored by a single point and Alabama has even odds of pulling off what would be a minor upset in the two program’s history. Alabama ended Georgia’s hopes of a three-peat last season, while the Bulldogs defeated the Crimson Tide in the College Football Playoff en route to its second straight title in 2023. Georgia is also coming off a struggle against then 1-1 Kentucky, only managing to defeat the Wildcats 13-12 and needing a fourth quarter touchdown having been down 9-6. The matchup will have a humongous impact on how the SEC plays out the rest of the way, especially factoring in that number one Texas, number five Tennessee and number six Ole Miss all reside in the conference as well.
While the spread for Illinois and Penn State may infer that the Nittany Lions should handle this game with ease, the Fighting Illini have already gone into enemy territory and walked away with a tough victory. In week four, Illinois went to Nebraska and defeated the Cornhuskers 31-24 in overtime, spoiling Nebraska’s 400th consecutive sellout crowd celebration and the emergency of freshman quarterback Dylan Railoa. The Fighting Illini are 19.5-point underdogs going into Penn State’s home field, with +600 odds to pull off the upset. Illinois is currently ranked at number 19 in the AP Poll, while Penn State has stayed relatively stagnant at number nine to this point in the season.
Penn State will be led by an ascending quarterback also, but Drew Allar is in his junior season and attempting to show NFL scouts he is worthy of being a top selection in the upcoming 2025 Draft. He struggled with decision-making, accuracy and creating plays out of structure in 2023, but has seemingly improved on all those aspects and has been able to unleash his cannon of an arm in 2024. Allar has thrown for 729 yards with eight touchdowns and only one interception in the team’s first three games, breezing through West Virginia and Kent State while struggling in the first half with Bowling Green.
Illinois is 4-0 on the season, defeating Eastern Illinois and Central Michigan without a sweat while overcoming underdog odds against Nebraska and Kansas, sending both out of the AP top 25 at the time. Quarterback Luke Altmyer has been incredible to begin the season, throwing for 862 yards, 10 touchdowns and zero interceptions across four games. While he doesn’t add much on the ground like Allar, who has 77 yards and two scores on the ground, Altmyer has shown remarkable poise this season and has helped his program receive its highest ranking in a number of years.
The atmosphere at Happy Valley will be insane, and the Fighting Illini will once again have to overcome tens of thousands of fans screaming in favor of the opposition. This feat can be a lot for players only 18, 19 or 20 years of age, but Illinois has displayed the resilience needed to walk into Penn State and leave while having maintained its perfect record. There will be added inspiration on the Penn State side, however, as the program will be honoring its last unbeaten team from 1994 during the game. The Nittany Lions will most likely come away with the victory on September 28, but look towards Illinois to give Penn State all it can handle when placing wagers on the game.
