- What: Texas vs Alabama - College Football Week 2
- When: Saturday, September 9th, 7 PM ET
- Where: Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, AL
Week 2 of the season brings no shortage of Online college football betting value as the Texas Longhorns take a trip to Tuscaloosa to face Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide. The kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Both teams won their first games of the year, with the Longhorns beating up Rice by a score of 37-10. As for the Crimson Tide, they annihilated Middle Tennessee, 56-7. This is one of the biggest contests of the campaign for these respective programs and should be an entertaining one given the talent on each sideline. Keep reading for the Texas vs Alabama picks.
Before we get into the odds and analysis as to who could come out on top this Saturday, make sure to check out our reviews of the top online sportsbooks.
Texas vs Alabama Odds
| Team |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | +240 | +240 | +235 |
| Alabama | -285 | -290 | -285 |
Bama is the favorite here with -285 odds for an implied win probability of 74.03%. Texas comes back at +240 and has a 29.41% chance of coming out with the victory on the road. The Tide are also laying seven points on the spread. The total meanwhile is set at 54 points.
The all-time series favors Texas with seven wins in 11 meetings. However, Bama won an absolute nailbiter in Austin last year, 20-19. They also played to a mere 3-3 tie in 1960.
Texas Needs to Thrive Offensively
The Longhorns are one of the most intriguing programs in the country thanks to a stacked QB room and no shortage of weapons out wide. Xavier Worthy, Adonai Mitchell, and Ja'Tavion Sanders, among others, are all capable of hurting Bama's secondary, who is already dealing with some injuries.
Last week, quarterback Quinn Ewers completed 19 of 30 passes for 260 yards and three TDs in a rather respectable 2023 debut. While Rice was not exactly an elite opponent, the Texas offense put in work. Jaydon Blue ran for 55 yards on 10 carries while backfield partner Jonathon Brooks also had 52 yards on the ground. That was excellent production from the duo who will be looking to ease the loss of Bijan Robinson to the NFL.
Regarding the passing game, Worthy was the star of the show with seven receptions for 90 yards. He's already got a special partnership with Ewers and will be a vital factor in Saturday's outcome. Jordan Whittington also reeled in four catches for 47 yards.
Defensively, the Longhorns will need to slow down Tide QB Jalen Milroe, who showed out in more ways than one in Week 1. He doesn't have a ton of weapons at his disposal but is capable of hurting Texas with his legs, too.
Big Game For Alabama
Yes, Alabama lost a ton of talent to the NFL Draft like Bryce Young, Will Anderson, and Jahmyr Gibbs, but you cannot underestimate the power of Nick Saban. They had one of the best recruiting classes in the nation and should definitely be a contender in 23'.
Although Middle Tennessee wasn't a tough game by any means, it was a very clean game from the Tide. They only committed two penalties in total and absolutely destroyed the Blue Raiders offensively, notching 205 rushing yards to 78 for their opponents while racking up 226 passing yards to 133 for Middle Tennessee.
Milroe definitely showed why Saban has made him QB1, completing 13 of 18 passes for 194 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 6.9 yards per carry and two scores on the ground. Versatility at its finest. There were actually five different running backs who got touches in the season opener and all of them thrived. Jase McClellan led the way with 39 yards on 10 carries.
Keeping the penalties down against Texas will be key Saturday. Alabama committed 15 of them in last season's meeting. That was a huge reason it ended up being such a close game. But, the Crimson Tide should feel confident about this Week 2 matchup because they were extremely sharp on both sides of the ball over the weekend. Yes, Texas has lots of weapons, but the Bama defense is no joke.
Texas vs Alabama Picks
Bama covered in 66.7% of their home contests last year. I really like how they looked versus Middle Tennessee and playing Bryant-Denny is always an advantage for Saban and Co. Expect the Crimson Tide to hand Texas their first loss of the season. Lock in the spread which is just a touchdown.
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