The latest edition of the Bulldogs-Crimson Tide rivalry is Saturday night — if the weather holds up.
As No. 2 Georgia heads to No. 6 Alabama for a highly anticipated Southeastern Conference showdown, plenty of questions remain about the status of the game with Hurricane Isaias set to make landfall on Friday night. College football fans — and President Donald Trump, who is set to attend — are left waiting for clarity as contingency plans have yet to be made public.
Both Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer and Georgia's Kirby Smart emphasized that the conditions are out of their control, and the focus remains on game preparation.
Alabama said Wednesday night that the safety of all parties is the highest priority and that kickoff remains scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT Saturday.
And if kickoff time stands, there is no shortage of things to watch.
Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton is no stranger to Alabama. Saturday marks his third meeting with the Crimson Tide as QB1, and he enters it playing some of the best football of his career.
“We’ve seen Gunner Stockton now a number of times, but he keeps getting better,” DeBoer said Monday.
Stockton is coming off what Smart called his most complete performance of the season, throwing for 295 yards and three touchdowns against Vanderbilt.
Georgia has outscored its opponents by a combined 190 points this season.
Alabama’s defense fared well against Stockton last year, holding him to fewer than 160 passing yards in both outings — something that happened only three times last season.
The Georgia quarterback is 1-1 against Alabama, bouncing back from a regular-season 24-21 loss with a 28-7 SEC championship game victory.
Georgia’s defense has forced 10 turnovers through five games. The Bulldogs' plus-6 turnover margin is the second-best in the SEC behind, of course, Alabama.
Raylen Wilson leads Georgia with 27 tackles, three sacks and two forced fumbles, while Chris Cole has 22 tackles and two fumble recoveries. Cornerback Ellis Robinson IV has three pass breakups and an interception, the latter coming against Vanderbilt last week.
Georgia used the same 11 defensive starters through its first four games before adding lineman Joseph Jonah-Ajonye and safety Rasean Dinkins against Vanderbilt.
“Disciplined, sound, multiple in what they do," Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said about Georgia's defensive unit. "Physical up front, they get vertical, and they do a great job. They're well-coached. They got good players. They play hard. It'll be a huge test.”
Alabama sophomore quarterback Keelon Russell has impressed in his first year as a starter, leading the Crimson Tide to a 5-0 start while completing 71.2% of passes for 1,414 yards, 11 touchdowns and rushing for 184 yards and four scores.
Ryan Coleman-Williams has emerged as a top target with 20 catches for 376 yards and four touchdowns, while Daniel Hill and Trae’shawn Brown lead the rushing attack.
Alabama is the only FBS team to score at least 45 points in every game this season, outscoring opponents by 144 points.
“Quarterback is playing amazing for them,” Smart said about Russell. “Guy is really talented, fun to watch, and you’ve seen the growth just from the first game all the way through. The talent this guy has is pretty incredible, and they have a great scheme around him.”
Georgia will get running back Nate Frazier back after he missed the Oklahoma game and played limited snaps last week. Running back Chauncey Bowens, who took much of the load with Frazier sidelined, is now out according to the SEC's injury report. Receiver Isiah Canion remains questionable for Georgia.
Despite undergoing surgery for a broken arm on Sunday, DeBoer thinks Alabama tight end Josh Ford could play. Right tackle Jayvin James is not on the initial availability report after missing the Mississippi State game, indicating a possible return. Edge rushers Justin Hill and Desmond Umeozulu are expected to miss another game.
The SEC championship race has run through Athens or Tuscaloosa for much of the past decade. Either Georgia or Alabama has won 11 of the past 12 conference titles, with a stacked 2019 LSU team being the lone exception.
Saturday is the 76th meeting between the teams and the 13th with both ranked in the top 10. At this point, the stakes are almost routine: The SEC standings and College Football Playoff picture are often altered when Georgia and Alabama meet.
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Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer reacts to a call during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Starkville, Miss., Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/James Pugh)
BAYOU LA BATRE, Ala. (AP) — Isaias surged toward the U.S. Gulf Coast on Thursday as the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, prompting mandatory evacuations, school closures and local government shutdowns in parts of Florida.
Isaias was forecast to intensify rapidly and bring strong winds and a life-threatening storm surge to the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama and southern Mississippi when it makes landfall on the northern Gulf Coast late Friday or early Saturday. Heavy rain and flooding were possible into the weekend as far inland as the Tennessee Valley.
“We are expecting Isaias to be a dangerous hurricane when it makes landfall,” Michael Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami, said in a mid-morning update.
He added: “Today is the day to prepare and get ready and be in your safe place by tomorrow as conditions will rapidly deteriorate along the northern Gulf Coast as Isaias approaches.”
The hurricane had maximum sustained winds of about 85 mph (140 kph) and was moving east-northeast at 10 mph (17 kph) as of late Thursday morning, the hurricane center said. It was centered about 380 miles (610 kilometers) south of the mouth of the Mississippi River.
Coastal communities moved quickly to prepare. Some Gulf oil wells paused production, and at least four Florida school districts canceled classes for later in the week. Okaloosa County announced mandatory evacuations for some coastal areas, and communities closed government offices as of Thursday afternoon. The governors of Florida and Alabama, meanwhile, declared a state of emergency for dozens of counties.
Dauphin Island, a 15-mile-long barrier island off the Alabama coast, encouraged some people to voluntarily evacuate.
“That area is traditionally very vulnerable to storm surge — saltwater flooding — and that is also where most of the visitors are," Mayor Jeff Collier said Thursday of the western part of the island.
He said he didn't anticipate substantial damage, “but at the same time, these things are very fickle and a little jog here or there or some last-minute increase in strength, we just have to be prepared for the worst.”
Water from the storm surge and high tide could reach heights of 5 to 7 feet (1.5 to 2 meters) in parts of Alabama and Mississippi, the hurricane center said. Isaias also could dump up to 15 inches (38 centimeters) of rain along parts of the Gulf Coast and spawn tornadoes overnight Friday into Saturday from Alabama to the Florida Panhandle and southwestern Georgia. The hurricane is expected to quickly weaken after making landfall.
The National Weather Service told communities from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to Gulf County, Florida, to prepare for the possibility of “long-duration power outages.”
Isaias developed more than four months into the Atlantic hurricane season and was one day short of tying a 121-year-old record for the area’s latest-forming hurricane. According to the weather service, the record dates to 1905, when the year’s first Atlantic hurricane formed on Oct. 8.
The Atlantic hurricane season has been unusually quiet this year because of a strong El Niño, which disrupts storm formation over the Atlantic. Storm activity has been above average in the Pacific, where Tropical Storm Simon formed Wednesday off Mexico and where Tropical Storm Rachel, formerly a hurricane, was expected to approach northern Baja California, Mexico, and Southern California this weekend, the hurricane center said.
Isaias is expected to strike a swath of coastline that’s familiar with major hurricanes.
One of the 20th century’s worst storms, Hurricane Camille, killed more than 250 people after hitting land near Waveland, Mississippi, in 1969. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 razed neighborhoods in Mississippi, flooded New Orleans and killed nearly 1,400 people. And Hurricane Michael leveled homes and buildings near Panama City, Florida, in 2018.
Ahead of the storm, oil and gas producers shut down a significant share of offshore production in the Gulf, which accounts for almost 15% of crude pumped annually in the U.S.
As of Wednesday, about 25% of the oil production in the region had been temporarily halted, taking about 511,000 barrels a day off the market, according to the Marine Minerals Administration. It said eight of the Gulf's 371 manned oil platforms had been evacuated.
With oil prices already high, the production cuts are steep enough to affect markets, though other Gulf hurricanes have caused larger disruptions, said Jim Burkhard, global head of crude oil market research for S&P Global Energy. More concerning, he said, is whether Isaias strikes as a powerful storm near refineries.
As it moves inland, Isaias might also disrupt Saturday’s college football showdown between rivals Georgia and Alabama, a game President Donald Trump has planned to attend.
In Gulf Shores, an Alabama community encouraging voluntary evacuations, resident Maranie Adams gathered water and other supplies as her family moved belongings, including a hot tub motor, to higher ground. Her family planned to ride out the storm at home, roughly a half-mile from shore, sheltering indoors alongside their flock of chickens.
“We’re having to get crates to bring them into the house so they don’t blow away,” Adams said. “It’s going to be noisy.”
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey issued a state of emergency for 40 counties, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared one for 25 counties in the Panhandle and Big Bend regions. The state also planned to deploy a Miami-based urban search and rescue task force.
In Pensacola, officials said the airport will close to commercial flights Friday morning, while utility crews prepared for power outages and officials opened sandbag distribution sites. Mayor D.C. Reeves urged residents to check on older adult neighbors and others who might need help.
“Obviously no need to panic at this point,” Reeves told a news conference. “This is really about preparation.”
Rico reported from Atlanta and Collins reported from Hartford, Connecticut. Associated Press reporters Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama; Hallie Golden in Seattle; Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; and Julie Walker in New York contributed to this report.
This satellite image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Isaias surging toward the U.S. Gulf Coast on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration via AP)
Residents pick up sandbags at the James Seals Jr. Parks & Recreation Center as they prepare for Hurricane Isaias expected landfall along the Gulf Coast, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, in Mobile, Ala. (AP Photo/Octavio Jones)
Residents pick up sandbags for storm preparation at the James Seals Jr. Parks & Recreation Center ahead of Hurricane Isaias, expected landfall along the Gulf Coast, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, in Mobile, Ala. (AP Photo/Octavio Jones)
Residents pick up sandbags for storm preparation at the James Seals Jr. Parks & Recreation Center ahead of Hurricane Isaias' expected landfall along the Gulf Coast, Thursday, October 8, 2026, in Mobile, Alabama (AP Photo/Octavio Jones)
Residents pick up sandbags at the James Seals Jr. Parks & Recreation Center as they prepare for Hurricane Isaias expected landfall along the Gulf Coast, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, in Mobile, Ala. (AP Photo/Octavio Jones)
This satellite image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Isaias in the Gulf of Mexico, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration via AP)
This GOES-19 GeoColor satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and taken at 4:57 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, shows Tropical Storm Simon, bottom center, in the Pacific Ocean, off the southwestern coast of Mexico, and Tropical Storm Isaias, upper right, east of Mexico in the Gulf of Mexico. (NOAA via AP)
This satellite image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Tropical Storm Isaias off the eastern coast of Mexico on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration via AP)
