Alabama vs. Georgia, 2012 SEC Championship: Preview and TV schedule

The Alabama Crimson Tide face the Georgia Bulldogs for the SEC Championship on Saturday, with the winner continuing on to face Notre Dame for the BCS national title. There aren't many people calling for a Georgia victory, but there are reasons to think the Bulldogs will put up a fight.

Georgia has put together an impressive defense performance in 2012. Jarvis Jones is a monster in the pass rush and has 19.5 tackles for a loss and six forced fumbles on the year. Alec Ogletree seems to make the tackle no matter where the ball ends up, and Bacarri Rambo is stalking the secondary. The defense is playing particularly well as of late, with Rambo forcing two fumbles and one interception against Georgia Tech, and the Bulldog defense allowing just 8.6 points per game in their last five.

Anything Georgia can do, though, Bama can do better. The Bama defense has put together two straight shutouts and averages only 9.3 points allowed per game for the entire season. They're ranked in the top five in scoring defense, total defense, passing yards defense, pass efficiency defense and rushing defense.

In an offense-to-offense comparison, Bama's advantage continues. Aaron Murray averages 266.8 passing yards per game, more than the 208.9 A.J. McCarron averages for the Tide, but Alabama is just ahead in points scored. They average 39 per game, just against Georgia's 38.

In any statistical comparison, Alabama comes out ahead. Georgia isn't likely to just roll over, though, so no matter what happens Saturday should be a scrap.

Game Time: 4 p.m. ET
Television Coverage: CBS
Odds: Alabama favored by 7.5 points