The Georgia Bulldogs host the Alabama Crimson Tide on at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 27 at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia. The Georgia-Alabama game will be the Bulldogs’ first SEC home game of the year and Georgia’s home atmosphere is expected to be electric, regardless of what color jerseys the Bulldogs wear.
Some Georgia fans want the Bulldogs to wear black jerseys against Alabama, but we aren’t sure if that’s a good idea. Yes, the game will be played at night, so wearing black jerseys would not be a competitive disadvantage (due to overheating). However, Georgia has an ugly recent history against Alabama and we don’t think the Bulldogs and coach Kirby Smart will want a potential distraction.
It is safe to say that Georgia’s last game in black jerseys against Alabama did not go well. Back in 2008, the Bulldogs were a preseason No. 1 under coach Mark Richt. A talented Georgia team stacked with players like Matthew Stafford, A.J. Green and Knowshon Moreno offered little resistance against coach Nick Saban and Alabama. The Crimson Tide built up a massive 31-0 halftime lead. Georgia had a comeback effort in garbage time that made the game look closer than the 41-30 final score suggests.
Georgia has played Alabama nine times since their meeting in 2008. The Bulldogs have won just once, but it was a national championship. Georgia is 1-9 in the last 10 games against Alabama, so we doubt Smart and Georgia would break out the black jerseys for a game like this.
Georgia’s recent history with the black jerseys has actually been pretty good. The Bulldogs are 3-0 during the Kirby Smart era when wearing black jerseys.
Will Georgia wear black jerseys?
We predict that Georgia will not wear black jerseys against Alabama. The Bulldogs have a rough history with Alabama and have not been wearing alternate jerseys in recent seasons. Georgia had a revenue-starved year in 2020, like most other athletic programs due to COVID-19, which was the last year when Georgia featured the black jerseys.
Recruits and fans love the black jerseys and it could be a good way to generate some name, image and likeness money, but we just don’t envision Georgia breaking them out against an opponent like Alabama.
Georgia football black jersey games
2020: Georgia 24, Cincinnati 212020: Georgia 31, Mississippi State 242016: Georgia 35, Louisiana-Lafayette 212008: Alabama 41, Georgia 302007: Georgia 41, Hawaii 102007: Georgia 45, Auburn 20
Note: dates are from the season played in and not the year of the game.
