The expansion of the College Football Playoff doesn’t quite make this a “must-win game,” but… it’s a must-win game for both Georgia and Alabama, albeit for slightly different reasons.

For Georgia, it’s the first of three gigantic road tests against top-10 ranked teams that will go a long way in defining the team this season.

And for Alabama, it’s a primetime showcase for Kalen DeBoer to prove he is, at least early on, the right man to replace Nick Saban, and that he has the coaching chops to stand face-to-face with an SEC powerhouse.

So while everything isn’t on the line, plenty still is, and the loser is one very notable step back in their respective projects.

Where does that leave Alabama coming into this game? Here are the three biggest things the Crimson Tide have to do to beat Georgia on Saturday night.

Coming into DeBoer’s first season, one of the big questions on this team, including from Saban himself as an ESPN analyst, was the condition of Alabama’s back seven pass defense.

It lost two great cornerbacks in Kool-Aid McKinstry and Terrion Arnold and two elite safeties in Caleb Downs and Jaylen Key. 

Their replacements — among them Michigan transfer safety Keon Sabb, ex-USC defensive back Domani Jackson, and 5-stars Jaylen Mbawke and Zabien Brown — have performed well, as defensive coordinator Kane Wommack has rotated personnel on the back end with varying results.

Most of them great: the defense as a whole has performed well against the pass, ranking 7th nationally in total yardage allowed, and surrendering just 52.3 percent completion from opposing passers while allowing a remarkable 3.2 yards per attempt, the best mark in FBS.

Georgia has some agile speedsters for Beck to throw to, including Dominic Lovett and Arian Smith, but so far this receiving corps does appear to have regressed in the absence of Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey.

It’s no secret that Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe is a big dual-threat, but DeBoer has been a little more aggressive in exploiting that mobility than Saban was at this time last season.

The results have boosted the Tide’s offensive capacity when it comes to big plays. One of the nation’s best rushing quarterbacks, Milroe has 156 yards this year and 2 rushing scores in each of the last 3 games, already 50 percent of his rushing TD total from a year ago.

And while Alabama has been fine-tuning its repertoire of explosive plays, Georgia’s defense, suffocating in just about every phase, has looked vulnerable in limited exposure against mobile quarterbacks. Kentucky’s Brock Vandagriff was able to average almost 8 yards per carry against it.

Milroe’s game is far from limited to his legs: 5 of his 8 passing touchdowns are longer than 20 yards, the best mark among any quarterback in the nation. 

But his ability to keep the Bulldogs’ scrimmage tacklers a half-step behind with a battery of improvised runs, and the ability to extend plays to spread them out and give his receivers that much-needed extra second to break out of their coverages, will be critical. 

Kirby Smart has preferred to build his Georgia offenses out from the running game, hoping to control the line of scrimmage initially and using that strength to open things up downfield later on.

But that strategy could run into some trouble as No. 2 running back Roderick Robinson is expected to miss the game, guard Tate Ratledge is injured, and Alabama’s front seven looks ready to pounce.

Georgia’s ground attack sputtered against Kentucky as the team managed under 4 yards per carry, and on the year it ranks just 84th nationally with 145 yards per game on average. 

The lack of an articulated run-blocking scheme could bring back memories of when the Bulldogs ran for just 2.5 yards per touch in the SEC title game last year. Advantage, Alabama.

More … How Georgia can beat Alabama

And … Georgia vs. Alabama score prediction by expert model

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