‘The Tide Will Dominate,’ ‘His Version of Rat Poison’ — Nick Saban Backs Alabama Over Georgia After Kirby Smart Shrugged Off Legendary HC’s Compliments

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Former Alabama coach Nick Saban picked his old team on Saturday, telling ESPN’s College GameDay audience that No. 6 Alabama would dominate No. 2 Georgia in Tuscaloosa.

Pro Football Network’s College Football Playoff Meter gives Georgia a 53.6% chance to win Saturday night’s showdown of 5-0 SEC teams, with Alabama at 46.4%. PFN Impact grades also favor the Bulldogs’ offense and defense, though Alabama has the higher-graded quarterback.

Nick Saban Picks Alabama, Kirby Smart Waves Off Saban’s Praise of Georgia

Speaking from Coleman Coliseum, where GameDay moved indoors because of Hurricane Isaias, Saban said Georgia had dominated every team it had played, before he turned to the Bulldogs’ schedule. “They haven’t played anybody, but they will play somebody tonight, and the Tide will dominate.”

Saban, who won six national championships in 17 seasons at Alabama, joined Desmond Howard and guest picker Bryce Young, the former Crimson Tide quarterback, in picking Alabama. Pat McAfee took Georgia, and Kirk Herbstreit, who is calling the game for ABC, did not make a pick.

The pick followed a week in which Saban praised Georgia. He called the Bulldogs one of the most complete teams in the country on The Pat McAfee Show on Friday, and on last week’s GameDay in Iowa City he called them the most complete team he had seen this season.

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Georgia coach Kirby Smart, who worked on Saban’s staffs at LSU, the Miami Dolphins and Alabama, waved off the Iowa City praise on ESPN’s SportsCenter earlier this week, saying his team is not what Saban says it is right now.

“That is his version of ‘rat poison.’ That’s fine. I get it.”

DawgNation, which covers Georgia sports, flipped the phrase after Saturday’s pick, writing that Saban was “serving up some ‘rat poison’ to his former Alabama program” while giving Georgia added motivation.

Saban remains on Alabama’s payroll in addition to his work as an ESPN analyst, earning $41,666.67 per month, about $500,000 a year, AL.com reported.

One fan called it absurd that ESPN pays someone with “such an obvious conflict of interest”.

Georgia Rates Higher on Offense and Defense, Alabama at Quarterback

Georgia’s offense, with a PFN Impact grade of 93.6 this season, ranks 3rd of 138 graded FBS team offenses, while Alabama’s ranks 6th of 138 at 90.2. On defense, Georgia’s PFN Impact grade of 92.6 is tied for 8th of 138 graded FBS team defenses, while Alabama’s 89.4 ranks 18th of 138.

Quarterback is where the Crimson Tide hold the edge. Alabama’s Keelon Russell has a PFN Impact grade of 92.2 this season, which ranks 3rd of 165 graded and qualified FBS quarterbacks, while Georgia’s Gunner Stockton ranks 6th of 165 with a PFN Impact grade of 89.8.

Russell threw for 285 yards and three touchdowns on 16-of-22 passing without an interception in last week’s 56-23 win at Mississippi State, and Smart praised his poise in the pocket on SportsCenter this week. Stockton went 25 of 32 for 295 yards and three touchdowns in Georgia’s 38-14 win over Vanderbilt.

Saban’s critique was aimed at a Georgia schedule that has included Tennessee State, Western Kentucky, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Vanderbilt.

Another fan sided with Saban, writing sarcastically that for the Bulldogs, “that vaunted Oklahoma offense was a good test”.

Alabama has faced East Carolina, Kentucky, Florida State, South Carolina and Mississippi State, rallying from an early 21-6 deficit to beat Florida State 50-36.

Another, though, turned the critique back on the Crimson Tide. “Neither has Bama but he’s not going to say that on air.”

Georgia and Alabama Battle With College Football Playoff Stakes

Saturday night’s Week 6 game at Bryant-Denny Stadium airs on ABC. PFN’s College Football Playoff Meter gives Alabama a 98.2% chance to make the playoff with a win and an 84.2% chance with a loss, while Georgia would sit at 95.4% with a win and 74.3% with a loss.

Georgia opened as a 1.5-point favorite, but the line moved to Alabama by 2.5 points at many sportsbooks, DawgNation reported.

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Georgia will be without touchdown leader Chauncey Bowens, DawgNation also reported, and the Bulldogs downgraded receiver Isiah Canion to out on their injury report Friday night.

Alabama is 7-2 against the Bulldogs since Smart took over before the 2016 season, though Georgia won the last meeting in last season’s SEC Championship Game.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.

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