When the Georgia-Alabama line opened, Bama was a -6 favorite. The line dropped to -4 almost immediately. Days later the number fell to -3.5 and has hovered around -4.5 since Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban disclosed his Covid-19 diagnosis. With a false negative, Saban confirmed coaching this game.
The news was the culmination of a tough week for the SEC, where there has been an uptick in positive tests, causing two games to be postponed.
"The kids were shocked for about five minutes, but then [Saban] went into practice prep and they snapped back," said one person within the program. "That really eased the tension with everybody, lightened the mood. But that's him. He knows the right buttons to push, and then it was business as usual."
The SEC’s Medical Guidance Task Force created testing and quarantine protocols for asymptomatic cases that would allow an individual “to return to athletic activities” in as quickly as three days from the initial positive test. This means Saban could be able to coach this Sunday.
According to the guidelines, an asymptomatic positive result would be followed less than 24 hours later by a second test. If that test is positive, “this will confirm an active COVID-19 infection.” Saban is asymptomatic.
If the second test is negative, the individual would take an additional two tests at least 24 hours apart. If all three tests come back negative, the individual can resume normal behavior under a surveillance testing program.
Saban would have to test negative again in order to coach on Sunday.
Regardless of Saban's status, Georgia-Alabama will likely be one of the most wagered on games of the week.
The last two games between Alabama and UGA have been tight with one ending up in overtime and another won by eight points. Alabama was victorious in both. Georgia covered the spread in both.
- Dan Shapiro, Gambling911.com
