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

–

More college football from SI: Top 25 Rankings | Schedule | Teams

Follow College Football HQ: Bookmark | Rankings | Picks

Hurricane Helene weakened to a tropical storm over Georgia Friday morning after making landfall in northwest Florida as a Category 4 storm with a “nightmare” storm surge. 

The tropical storm was centered 80 miles east-northeast of Atlanta by Friday morning, moving north at 30 mph with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph. 

At least five deaths have been reported in four states as floodwaters trapped people and left more than 3 million customers without power across the southeastern U.S.

Catastrophic flooding remains a big threat for the region. Areas from northern Georgia into the southern Appalachians are expected to get the worst of it Friday. Flash flood warnings were also issued in parts of Tennessee. 

Helene impacts in Georgia

Helene caused at least three deaths in Georgia and prompted the first-ever Flash Flood Emergency for downtown Atlanta, FOX Weather reports. 

At least two people were killed in Wheeler County, Georgia, after a mobile home was damaged during a tornado. According to FOX 5 Atlanta, a third death in Georgia is also being investigated after reports of a vehicle that crashed into a tree in Colquitt County.

More flooding is expected in northern Georgia Friday. 

Hurricane Helene landfall

Hurricane Helene made landfall at 11:10 p.m. Eastern time Thursday night about 10 miles west-southwest of Perry, Florida. That’s in the state’s sparsely populated Big Bend region, about 20 miles northwest of where Hurricane Idalia came ashore last year at nearly the same ferocity and caused widespread damage. 

Helene struck as a Category 4 with sustained winds of 140 mph. 

Flooding along Florida’s coast began well before Hurricane Helene made landfall, with rapidly rising waters reported from as far south as Fort Myers on the state’s Gulf Coast.

Evacuation orders remained in effect Friday morning across parts of several Florida counties due to storm surge and flooding.

Hurricane Helene in Tampa, St. Petersburg

At least one person was killed in the Tampa, Florida, area after a crash on Interstate 4 that involved a highway sign on top of a vehicle.

Tidal gauges in the Tampa Bay area reached record high levels as Helene came ashore. 

Hundreds of people were rescued from floodwaters in coastal areas of Tampa Bay, FOX 13 in Tampa reports. 

Residents of nearby St. Petersburg said they’ve never seen flooding like this. 

Helene hits North Carolina

Evacuations were underway Friday morning in areas of Western North Carolina. The Haywood County Sheriff’s Office west of Asheville said it was helping with evacuations in in Cruso, Clyde, Canton and lower-lying parts of Waynesville.

At least one death has been reported. In Charlotte, North Carolina, firefighters say a tree fell onto a home, trapping two people inside. One of the victims was taken to a local hospital, and the second victim was found dead inside the home.

At least seven Flash Flood Emergencies were also issued in western North Carolina from Asheville to the Charlotte area.

Helene in South Carolina

One death has been reported in the storm so far in South Carolina. A tree fell on a house Friday morning in Anderson, the Anderson County Coroner’s Office said.

Other storms to watch

Meanwhile, Hurricane John weakened again into a tropical storm Thursday evening after strengthening back to a Category 1 hurricane earlier the same day. The so-called “zombie storm,” a storm that weakens and then strengthens again after returning to warm waters, brought flooding and landslides to Mexico’s southwest coast. 

Forecasters said Tropical Storm Isaac strengthened on Friday into a hurricane in the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean and could cause dangerous waves in parts of Bermuda.

Hurricane Helene is making its way through Georgia after making landfall late Thursday night in Florida’s panhandle.

Helene will likely move in as a Category 1 storm in southern counties of the Channel 2 Action News viewing area and bring strong Tropical Storm conditions as it moves into metro Atlanta. Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 storm.

Areas across the metro are experiencing flooding from non-stop rain.

Here is a minute-by-minute look at what’s happening:

2:26 p.m.

Peak gusts are continuing to nose upward around metro Atlanta & east as we track Helene moving northward. Gusts are now into the 30-35 mph range in parts of the area.

2:09 a.m.

Helene has been downgraded to a Category 1 storm with winds up to 90 mph.

1:53 a.m.

A woman had to be rescued from her Griffin home after the roof collapsed on her house along Hammon Drive. She was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

1:45 a.m.

Wind gusts are now starting to pick up around metro Atlanta.

1:16 a.m.

Tree down across Oxbo Road in Roswell.

This is how Thursday night unfolded.