Since dropping its season opener to Florida State, Alabama has collected two dominant wins heading into its pivotal SEC opener against Georgia. The game will be the next big test for Tide quarterback Ty Simpson. Ahead of the massive Alabama-Georgia Week 5 college football matchup, we will be making our Ty Simpson predictions.
Simpson has had three games as a starter with mixed results. His debut went about as poorly as possible, completing just 53.5 percent of his passes in a 31-17 loss to Florida State. He did, however, manage to throw two touchdowns without turning the ball over.
Simpson has been elite since then, connecting on 41 of his 46 pass attempts for 608 passing yards, seven touchdowns and zero interceptions in Alabama's last two games. He has a flawless 9-0 touchdown-interception ratio so far in 2025 with a pristine 71.9 completion percentage.
As impressive as he has looked, it is easy to read between the lines of Simpson's performances. While he dominated ULM and Wisconsin, Simpson struggled in his only legitimate test against Florida State. Perhaps he has improved in the last two games, but he could also simply be benefiting from inferior competition.
Regardless, the momentum he is currently on is promising. While it is true that Simpson floundered in his only game against a high-level defense, it was also his first career start on the road against a revamped and underrated Seminoles defense.
Now fully entrenched as Alabama's quarterback, fans will get to see if Simpson is the real deal or not on Saturday. Ahead of the Alabama-Georgia Week 5 college football matchup, here are our Ty Simpson predictions.
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Alabama QB Ty Simpson has first 400-yard game against Georgia
Playing at Alabama is different than most other programs. Fans expect immediate results no matter what, which is why Crimson Tide fans were not pleased with Simpson after their Week 1 loss to Florida State.
Simpson only led two scoring drives in that game, but it was a reasonably successful debut in hindsight. The accuracy was not there, but Simpson ended with 253 passing yards and avoided throwing an interception on 43 pass attempts. The Seminoles have three takeaways in their last two games, but were not able to get one on Simpson.
Considering what he managed in that game, Simpson's last two weeks have been exactly what the doctor ordered. He has been near-perfect since Week 1 and has finally given Alabama's offense the look of the high-volume passing attack that many expected Kalen DeBoer to bring to Tuscaloosa.
Simpson just needs his one signature game to truly break through, and he will get it against Georgia.
Against Wisconsin, Simpson set a new career-high in passing yards. He has only played three games, but he torched a pathetic Wisconsin secondary with 382 passing yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions. Sure, it came against a Badgers team that might be amid its worst season in decades, but Alabama's passing game has not looked so fluid since Bryce Young took home the Heisman Trophy.
Simpson is not going to complete 83 percent of his passes against Georgia, but he will also face an offense that will put up more of a fight. He will also have running back Jam Miller in the backfield for the first time in 2025 to open up the Tide's offensive arsenal.
Georgia's defense allowed multiple deep passes to Tennessee's Joey Aguilar in Week 3. Expect Simpson to exploit that weakness and set another career high in his first career game against the Bulldogs.
Ty Simpson shreds Georgia defense with his legs
Ty Simpson has dominated defenses lately through the air, which has prevented him from showing off his athletic versatility. Entering Week 5, Simpson has just 45 rushing yards on 17 carries under the NCAA ruling in which sacks count as negative rushing yards.
No one will mistake Simpson for his predecessor, Jalen Milroe, who compiled 1,257 rushing yards in his two years at Alabama as a full-time starter. When DeBoer confirmed that Simpson would be his guy, the expectation was that the junior would allow him to open up the air raid attack he used at Washington with Michael Penix Jr.
Although he will never match Milroe's production on the ground, Simpson is still an underrated athlete. He has showcased his scrambling ability in two of Alabama's three games thus far, breaking two of his 17 runs for more than 10 yards.
Georgia loves to bring pressure, at which time Simpson tends to counter with his scramble attempts. The Bulldogs are typically adept at preventing quarterback rushing yards, but they are vulnerable to them when they blitz.
DeBoer called design runs for Milroe in 2024, but that is not typically a part of his plan. He does, however, incentivize his quarterbacks to create plays on the ground, with Penix and Jake Haener having occasional success in that department.
Georgia prepares well for dual-threat quarterbacks, but the biggest threat Simpson poses is through the air. Simpson is much faster than he looks and deceptively athletic, and will slip through Kirby Smart's defense for a few momentum-changing long gains.
Alabama hangs 50 on Georgia in dominant win
Alabama's offense was frustratingly stagnant against Florida State, but it has been in cruise control ever since. Tune-ups against ULM and Wisconsin were exactly what this team needed ahead of its first top-10 matchup.
If Alabama is going to make a College Football Playoff push, it will be up to this offense, led by Simpson. Week 5 will be a telling test for the Crimson Tide's ceiling, particularly with Miller back in the lineup.
Everybody involved in the Alabama football program — DeBoer, Simpson, Miller and Ryan Williams — desperately needs a statement-making performance. A win over this Georgia team would accomplish that, but the Tide are going to do more than just win.
Throughout the first two weeks, Georgia's defense appeared to be arguably the best unit in the country. They only allowed 6.5 points per game, albeit against Marshall and Austin Peay. Then, everything fell apart against Tennessee.
The Bulldogs allowed 496 total yards and 41 points to the Volunteers, including 371 passing yards and four touchdowns to quarterback Joey Aguilar. Had Tennessee held on for the upset — it led 21-7 at one point in the first half — Aguilar might be the Heisman Trophy favorite.
Tennessee entered that game as the highest-scoring team in the SEC, but all it did was expose clear holes in the Bulldogs' defense. Going back to the end of the 2024 season, Georgia has struggled to contain intermediate and deep passes, which is where Aguilar targeted all game.
In 2024, Alabama repeatedly beat Georgia downfield. Williams' signature play in the game was a 75-yard touchdown down the far sideline to give the Crimson Tide the lead with two minutes remaining. One year later, those problems still seem to exist, and Simpson is a much better passer than Milroe.
Once Simpson gets in a rhythm, he is difficult to contain. That is precisely what is going to happen on Saturday, and Alabama will return to Tuscaloosa with a massive statement victory to get its title aspirations back on track.
