Answering if Alabama's season is on the line against Georgia

This weekend’s game at Georgia might not be a must-win for Alabama and its playoff hopes. However, Josh Pate does think the Crimson Tide have to show some fight in a Top 20 matchup between the hedges on Saturday.

Appearing on ‘Get Up’ on Thursday, Pate answered on if a loss would put the season on the line for ‘Bama. He said, technically, no, as the Tide, at that point falling to 2-2, would only have one loss in league play and still have access to the playoff.

“In some ways, no,” Pate said on the show. “Mathematically, it’s one conference loss. They’re still in it.”

That said, as a whole, Pate saw this as a must-play well, especially on the road, for Alabama. This is a big spot for the Crimson Tide, considering their recent history and success, against the Bulldogs. But it’s also a more difficult spot with it being in Athens, where they have lost four of their last six true road games since the start of last season.

“You’ve got to go back because this is not about math at this point. This is about pride,” Pate said. “You go back to Week 1? Everything we thought we knew was thrown in a blender with Alabama going and getting, frankly, embarrassed on the road against Florida State. Those road woes are kind of becoming a little bit of a trend under Kalen DeBoer. I will tell you, internally there, they think they’ve identified the issues. They think they’ve fixed it. The beauty is we don’t have to wonder. We get to find out on Saturday night. Athens, GA? That thing is going to be insane.”

With what they have left on the schedule, a 2-2 start would feel like a season’s end down in Tuscaloosa. Still, if Alabama can at the very least compete on Saturday night, Pate doesn’t think all would be lost for Alabama as they leave Sanford Stadium.

Alabama vs. Georgia Prediction: UGA home dominance, ‘Bama road struggles give Bulldogs advantage

Athens will host the top game of the week, in the conference and maybe nationally, as the Georgia Bulldogs welcome the Alabama Crimson Tide. That location is key for Josh Pate when it comes to predicting the game, as Sanford Stadium is a place where UGA almost always wins as of late, while Kalen DeBoer does not have the best road record so far with the Crimson Tide. So, with that, Pate is going with the ‘Dawgs at home.

“If I’m going to be proven wrong on this, I’m going to be proven wrong by Georgia losing in a place they haven’t lost in since — it’s been a long, long time. If I’m going to be proven wrong, I’m going to be proven wrong by ‘Bama thriving on the road instead of struggling, like they have recently,” Pate said on ‘Josh Pate’s College Football Show’ on Tuesday. “Until I see both of those things change simultaneously, to me, this is Georgia’s game. So, I’ll take Georgia to win, Georgia to cover.”