Alabama
Alabama vs. Georgia score prediction: Picks against the spread for SEC championship game
This SEC team might surprise college football fans in 2023
USA TODAY Sports’ Dan Wolken gives his dark horse ahead of the 2023 CFB season, and explains why he likes this team so much.
Sports Seriously
The culmination of the SEC’s 2023 college football season all comes down to Saturday’s conference title game.
Naturally, it’s between No. 1 Georgia (12-0, 8-0 in SEC play) and No. 8 Alabama (11-1, 7-1). The Kirby Smart-led Bulldogs and Nick Saban-led Crimson Tide will meet yet again with the SEC title on the line, with both previous meetings in Atlanta going in the direction of the Tide in 2018 and 2021.
REQUIRED READING: SEC bowl projections: College Football Playoff, New Year’s Six predictions after Week 13
There’s more to Saturday’s meeting than conference supremacy of even the relationship between Saban and Smart: a potential College Football Playoff appearance is on the line as well. The Crimson Tide must beat Georgia to even have a chance at making the CFP (a tall task in and of itself) but even then likely needs both of Florida State and Texas to lose in the ACC and Big 12 title games, respectively.
One could argue two-time defending national champion Georgia, riding a 29-game win streak into Atlanta, has already punched its ticket to the College Football Playoff. But the Bulldogs will want to erase all doubt as to its status as the No. 1 team in the country.
CFB RANKINGS: College football rankings: SEC teams in updated Coaches Poll, AP Top 25 after Week 13
Before we get into picks, here is how our experts have fared through this part of the season.
(Note: experts are ranked in order of overall record, followed by straight-up record the previous week; record against the spread; and record against the spread last week).
Expert
Record (last week)
Against the spread* (last week)
Kevin Brockway, The Gainesville Sun
97-14 (8-1)
20-21-1 (2-7)
Emily Adams, Greenville News
97-14 (8-1)
19-22-1 (3-6)
Richard Silva, The Montgomery Advertiser
96-15 (8-1)
22-19-1 (5-4)
Calum McAndrew, Columbia Daily Tribune
95-16 (8-1)
26-15-1 (2-7)
Marc Weiszer, Athens Banner-Herald
94-17 (8-1)
20-21-1 (4-5)
Stefan Krajisnik, Clarion Ledger
94-17 (8-1)
20-21-1 (2-7)
Adam Sparks, Knoxville News Sentinel
94-17 (8-1)
19-22-1 (3-6)
Ryan Black, The Courier Journal
94-17 (8-1)
19-22-1 (3-6)
Koki Riley, The Daily Advertiser
92-19 (8-1)
22-20 (5-4)
Aria Gerson, Tennessean
92-19 (8-1)
21-20-1 (5-4)
Jackson Fuller, Southwest Times Record
92-19 (8-1)
18-23-1 (3-6)
David Eckert, Clarion Ledger
91-20 (8-1)
21-20-1 (4-5)
Nick Kelly, Tuscaloosa News
91-20 (8-1)
20-21-1 (6-3)
And here’s how they are picking the SEC championship game between Georgia and Alabama to play out, including straight up and against the spread:
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Tuesday, Nov. 28
REQUIRED READING: Final SEC Power Rankings: Iron Bowl madness, Jayden Daniels’ Heisman, free vetoes at Texas A&M
No. 1 Georgia (-5.5) vs. No. 8 Alabama (Atlanta)
- Kevin Brockway, The Gainesville Sun: Georgia wins 35-20 and covers the spread
- Emily Adams, Greenville News: Georgia wins 31-23 and covers the spread
- Richard Silva, The Montgomery Advertiser: Alabama wins 31-28 in an upset
- Calum McAndrew, Columbia Daily Tribune: Georgia wins 35-21 and covers the spread
- Ryan Black, The Courier Journal: Georgia wins 37-31 and covers the spread
- Jackson Fuller, Southwest Times Record: Georgia wins 27-20 and covers the spread
- Stefan Krajisnik, Clarion Ledger: Georgia wins 31-27 but doesn’t cover the spread
- Adam Sparks, Knoxville News Sentinel: Georgia wins 31-20 and covers the spread
- David Eckert, Clarion Ledger: Georgia wins 34-20 and covers the spread.
- Marc Weiszer, Athens Banner-Herald: Georgia wins 31-24 and covers the spread
- Koki Riley, The Daily Advertiser: Georgia wins 31-14 and covers the spread
- Nick Kelly, Tuscaloosa News: Georgia wins 27-23 but doesn’t cover the spread
- Aria Gerson, Tennessean: Georgia wins 33-24 and covers the spread
Alabama
16-year-old 'Baby Driver' actor dies after fall from moving vehicle in Alabama
ATLANTA – Hudson Meek, a rising teen actor best known for his role as “Young Baby” in the 2017 Atlanta-filmed blockbuster Baby Driver, has tragically passed away at the age of 16.
Meek died on Saturday from injuries sustained after falling from a moving vehicle in his hometown of Vestavia Hills, Alabama, according to multiple sources. The Jefferson County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that he suffered blunt force injuries in the incident, which occurred last Thursday on the 1900 block of Canyon Road. The circumstances surrounding the accident remain under investigation by the Vestavia Hills Police Department.
Meek’s family shared the heartbreaking news on his Instagram account, writing, “Our hearts are broken to share that Hudson Meek went home to be with Jesus tonight.”
Hudson Meek was a graduate of Vestavia Hills High School and had a blossoming career in the entertainment industry. In Baby Driver, filmed and set in Atlanta, he portrayed the younger version of Ansel Elgort’s main character in the Edgar Wright-directed action film. His talents extended to appearances in NBC’s Found, the MacGyver reboot, and voice acting roles. Alongside his brother, Tucker Meek, he also appeared in the 2014 Lifetime movie The Santa Con.
Meek’s obituary highlighted his passion for acting and his love for working on set, saying, “He absolutely loved spending time on set and having the chance to learn the names and stories of every member of the cast and crew.” Several of his projects are set to be released in 2025.
READ THE OBIT
J Pervis Talent Agency, which represented Meek, paid tribute on Instagram: “Hudson was an extraordinary young talent, whose dedication, passion, and promise shone brightly within our industry. Over the past 10 years, he contributed so much to the spirit of our agency, and his loss leaves a void that will be deeply felt by all of us.”
Baby Driver (2017) is a stylish action-crime film directed by Edgar Wright. The movie revolves around Baby, a young and talented getaway driver with a passion for music. Played by Ansel Elgort, Baby uses his carefully curated playlists to drown out the tinnitus he developed from a childhood car accident and to synchronize his driving, making him one of the best in the business.
Baby works for Doc, a mysterious crime boss played by Kevin Spacey, who organizes heists with rotating crews of criminals. Baby is reluctantly tied to Doc due to a debt, but he dreams of leaving the criminal world behind. His plans are further solidified when he meets Debora, a kind-hearted waitress played by Lily James, and the two begin to imagine a future free from crime.
However, Baby’s path to freedom is complicated by a dangerous heist crew and escalating tensions with volatile criminals like Bats (Jamie Foxx) and Buddy (Jon Hamm). As the stakes rise, Baby must use his driving skills, quick thinking, and determination to protect Debora and escape the life of crime once and for all.
Alabama
Alabama quadruplets out of NICU and home for Christmas
AUBURN, Ala. (WSFA) – When Becca Bryant found out she was pregnant, she was excited to add a fourth child to her family. What the family didn’t expect is it wouldn’t just be adding a fourth kid, but also a fifth, sixth and seventh.
The quadruplets – Kali, Koen, Laney and Lennon – were born premature at 23 weeks and four days.
Because of their early birth, they had to spend five to six months in the neonatal intensive care unit. The last one was brought home on Dec. 10, just weeks before Christmas.
“We get closer to Christmas and our last one’s still in the NICU, and I’m like come on, come on, come on, let’s go home, let’s go home,” Bryant said. “So now that we’re all here, I’m so excited. I cannot wait to get all of them in front of the tree and take a picture.”
Having three more kids than you’re expecting is sure to put a financial strain on any family, but the community has made sure the Bryant family has all of its needs covered.
“We are very blessed to say that we have not bought a single diaper yet, and we’ve had people send gift cards, and we’ve had people send cash,” she said. “We wouldn’t make it without that.”
The parents are also getting much-needed help from their older kids.
“Once they started trickling home, they were all excited, and they just couldn’t wait. They wanted to hold them, they wanted to help, they wanted to get their clothes, they wanted to do their bottles, and they still want to do all that stuff,” said Bryant.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 148 sets of quadruplets or higher-order births in 2023. That’s the lowest number since it started collecting data in 1998.
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Alabama
South Alabama adds Samford wide receiver transfer Brendan Jenkins for 2025
South Alabama on Wednesday picked up its first transfer portal commitment of the current cycle, from former Samford wide receiver Brendan Jenkins.
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Jenkins caught 89 passes for 888 yards and seven touchdowns in two seasons with the Bulldogs, and was Southern Conference Freshman of the Year in 2023. A native of Hochston, Ga., he has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
South Alabama has a major need at receiver, with four seniors among its top five pass-catchers in 2024. First-team All-Sun Belt selection Jamaal Pritchett has used up his eligibility, as have Salute to Veterans Bowl Most Valuable Player Jeremiah Webb, tight end DJ Thomas-Jones and No. 4 receiver Shamar Sandgren (though it’s now possible Sandgren could return next season after a recent NCAA ruling involving former junior-college transfers).
Devin Voisin, who caught 34 passes this past season, is expected to return for a seventh year at South Alabama in 2025 after receiving a medical redshirt following an early-season knee injury in 2023. Also eligible to return are Anthony Eager (10 catches, 2 TDs as a redshirt freshman in 2024), program veteran Keyshawn Woodyard and a host of less-experienced receivers including Micah Woods, Noah Toster, Jeremy Scott and Jerrian Graham.
South Alabama is expected to add a number of other portal transfers before spring semester classes begin on Jan. 13. The transfer portal closes for new entries on Dec. 28, though a player already in the portal by then may commit to or sign with his new school at any time.
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