Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Georgia Bulldogs Week 5 will be Huge Revenue-Driver

All eyes are about to be on the Alabama Crimson Tide and Georgia Bulldogs—for a multitude of reasons.

Anyone who cares about college football will be tuning in on Saturday, September 28, when these two NCAA Division I powerhouses square off. The Georgia Bulldogs enter as the No. 2 ranked team in the country while the Alabama Crimson Tide are ranked at No. 4. 

The angles at which you can cover this long-storied matchup are endless. There are, of course, college football playoff implications. And then there’s the entire rivalry between these two programs to consider. 

However, there is also another storyline: The impact this matchup has on sports betting in Alabama.

Yes, as many already know, Alabama sports betting is not yet legal. Multiple attempts to change that have failed–including the most recent one this past year. Make no mistake, though, residents of The Crimson State still bet on sports. Whether they are betting offshore or in nearby regions, online sports betting in the United States has never been more accessible to everyone. This includes people living in places that have yet to officially legalize wagering on sports.

Opponents of gambling are sometimes quick to note the Alabama Crimson Tide are about the only draw in town. After all, the state does not play home to any professional sports franchises. But equating scarcity of pro teams to interest is flawed. Sports fans will root for franchises in neighboring states. The age of the internet has also made it so you can follow any team from anywhere. 

For argument’s sake, though, let’s assume the Alabama Crimson Tide would be the primary driver of Alabama sports betting revenue. Does that mean legalizing it isn’t worthwhile from a financial standpoint? This Alabama-Georgia Week 5 matchup seems destined to prove otherwise.

Alabama Crimson Tide and Georgia Bulldogs are Two of the Most Popular College Football Teams in the USA

When Alabama vs. Georgia kicks off Saturday, inside Bryant Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the nation will be watching two of the most popular football programs in the country.

Granted, popularity isn’t an exact science. In this case, it can be measured by casual interest. Maybe you are not someone who partakes in college football betting online. Or perhaps you root for another NCAA football team. With all of this in mind, if you are a sports fan in general, there’s a chance you will be tracking the result of this game—if not tuning in on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.

Look no further than the money generated by Alabama Crimson Tide football as well as Georgia Bulldogs football. Here is the list of the NCAA football programs who turned in the most revenue last season, according to USA Today:

• Ohio State - $251.6 million
• Texas - $239.3 million
• Alabama - $214.4 million
• Michigan - $210.4 million
• Georgia - $203.1 million

These figures are first and foremost staggering. (For what it is worth, they do not account for program expenses). But they keep in theme with the number of people watching every game. 

Zach Miller of Run It Back with Zach previously compiled the top college football programs according to how many average viewers last season watched on television per game. Both the Alabama Crimson Tide and Georgia Bulldogs once again ranked in the top five:

• Ohio State Buckeyes - 5.55 million viewers per game
• Alabama Crimson Tide - 5.08 million viewers per game
• Michigan Wolverines - 4.78 million viewers per game
• Colorado Buffaloes - 4.50 million viewers per game
• Georgia Bulldogs - 3.95 million viewers per game

Looking at both the revenue generated and the eyeballs drawn, it’s clear the Alabama Crimson Tide can be a betting-market anchor.  

College Football Betting in the United States Remains on the Rise

While it is tough to pinpoint how much an individual game will be worth on the betting market, odds are Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Georgia Bulldogs Week 5 ends up registering as a banner affair. 

Never mind the marquee-matchup narrative. And forget about the stakes of the game. Instead, just think about how much money is spent on college football nowadays. Consider this tidbit from a previous piece by ESPN’s David Purdhum: 

“Conservatively, more than $1 billion is bet annually on college football. A big college football game -- especially early in the season when bettors' bankrolls are at their starting point -- can attract tens of millions of dollars in bets around the nation…State gaming regulators do not specify the amount wagered or revenue on college football, instead lumping betting data on both NCAA and the NFL into one ‘football’ category. In 2019, Nevada and New Jersey, home to the two largest legal betting markets in the U.S., combined to win approximately $175 million off around $3 billion in football bets. Nevada bookmakers say the college game accounts for 45-55% of their football handle, while, in New Jersey, operators say the NFL attracts about twice as much money as college football at the state's largest sportsbooks.”

Without exact figures on college football specifically, we wouldn’t dare ballpark a number for Alabama vs. Georgia Week 5. And yet, this game meets the most lucrative criteria laid out by Purdham. Not only does it feature two powerhouses, but it’s taking place in the first half of the season, when individual game bets tend to be at their highest.

Could Missed College Football Betting Revenue Lead Alabama to Think Harder About Legalization?

This question is at once fair and unfair. 

On the one hand, the potential revenue from betting on the Alabama Crimson Tide will absolutely factor into future discussions. On the other hand, it has no doubt played a part in previous conversations. 

The end result of those talks? Numerous failed attempts to legalize Alabama sports betting.

Still, it would be foolish to completely write off the significance of the latest Alabama Crimson Tide-Georgia Bulldogs showdown. Tentpole events such as this have a way of recontextualizing financial perspectives. When the next college football betting revenue report drops, however far into the future, it may resonate with policymakers not previously swayed. 

Really, though, the importance of Georgia Bulldogs-Alabama Crimson Tide Week 5 does not lie in how it might change views on sports betting. It is more about providing proof that online sports betting in Alabama has the cachet to succeed. So while there are certainly valid reasons not to legalize it, the prospective interest level isn’t one of them. 

Take a look at this list of the top online sportsbooks so you can find one that works for all of your sports betting needs: