ALABAMA vs LSU
When: 1/19/2021 9:00 PM
Where:

TV: 9:00 PM
LINE: 1
PREDICTION: LSU , ALABAMA

Oddsmakers currently have the LSU listed as 1 point favorites versus the ALABAMA, while the game’s total is sitting at 164.5.

Alabama leads the Southeastern Conference and leaped into the AP Top 25 on Monday.

The 18th-ranked Crimson Tide (11-3, 6-0 SEC) will try to stay unbeaten in conference play when they face second-place LSU (10-2, 5-1) on Tuesday night in Baton Rouge, La.

Alabama, which is off to its best start in SEC play since 1987, won its seventh consecutive game when it routed visiting Arkansas 90-59 on Saturday. The victory came four days after an 85-65 victory against Kentucky.

“We talked about what type of character we would have after the big win at Kentucky,” coach Nate Oats said. “We knew Arkansas was going to bring everything they had. Our guys responded great.”

The 31-point margin of victory was the Crimson Tide’s largest in SEC play since defeating host Mississippi State 75-43 eight years ago.

John Petty Jr. led the team with 17 points and he became the school’s all-time leader in 3-pointers when he made his 264th.

“I am really happy for Petty,” Oats said. “He could’ve left after his junior year. He decided to come back. You like for guys who decide to come back for their senior year to do great things.”

Jaden Shackelford added 16 points and Herbert Jones, who was questionable because of a finger injury suffered against Kentucky, scored 13 points in 23 minutes.

The Tide led for nearly 39 minutes of the game, racing to a 42-19 halftime advantage and leading by as many as 36 points.

“Our attention to detail on defense was great,” Oats said.

LSU’s defense was important in its fourth-straight victory — an 85-80 home win against South Carolina on Saturday.

“We know we can score the ball,” said Javonte Smart, who had 15 points as one of four Tigers in double figures. “We talk about defense. They were getting some buckets; some back-door looks. We just wanted to lock in when we were down. We just wanted to get back in that lead, and cut it and tie the game, and on to play defense.”

The Tigers trailed 72-64, but they held the Gamecocks without a field goal for more than seven minutes to take control. South Carolina missed 11 consecutive shots and made just one of its last 13.

“Good team effort,” LSU coach Will Wade said. “Just happy to win. It’s tough to win in the SEC…Our guys really dug in.”

Cam Thomas scored 25 points, Trendon Watford added 23 and Darius Days scored 11.

“Trendon did a great job all night,” Wade said. “They were collapsing on him. He did a good job finishing. He did a great job at the free-throw line (nine of 10). He was really, really good.

“You have to play through your hot hand. Then, Cam was able to make plays down the stretch off the ball screens with Trendon also. We were able to play through Trendon in the post. That’s where the mismatches were. That’s where we were able to make things happen.”

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NOTRE DAME vs ALABAMA
When: 1/1/2021 4:00 PM
Where:

TV: 4:00 PM
LINE: -19.5
PREDICTION: ALABAMA , NOTRE DAME

Oddsmakers currently have the ALABAMA listed as -19.5 point favorites versus the NOTRE DAME, while the game’s total is sitting at 65.5.

It’s a huge mismatch on paper and No. 4 Notre Dame can only hope it doesn’t lead to another bad memory when it takes on No. 1 Alabama in the College Football Playoff semifinal on Jan. 1 at Arlington, Texas.

The powerful Crimson Tide, who have topped 50 points in each of the past three games, are overwhelming 19 1/2-point favorites in the contest, also known as the Rose Bowl after the game was moved from Pasadena to the Dallas area due to California’s COVID-19 protocols.

When the teams last met eight seasons ago in the BCS title game, Alabama trampled the Fighting Irish by scoring the first 35 points of a 42-14 romp. The Crimson Tide pummeled Notre Dame in the trenches, leading to a 265-32 edge in rushing yardage.

“We’re much better prepared than we were in 2012 in terms of the physicality on both lines,” Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said on a video call. “I think we have the ability to move the football, certainly.”

Notre Dame (10-1) doesn’t want to get into a shootout with the Crimson Tide, but it did top 40 points six times this season.

Its defense, which ranks 14th in scoring defense (18.6 points per game), was superb early in the season by limiting five of the first six opponents to 13 or fewer points. But it sprung many leaks down the stretch by allowing more than 30 in three of the last five games, including a 34-10 whipping at the hands of Clemson in last Saturday’s ACC title game.

“We’ve been humbled about the way we play,” said Kelly, “and this team has always come back with a resilience and an edge about them, and they will against Alabama.”

The Crimson Tide (11-0) topped 50 six times and averaged 49.7 points — second-best nationally — while being led by a trio of big-time performers.

DeVonta Smith has the opportunity to be the first receiver to win the Heisman Trophy since Michigan’s Desmond Howard in 1991. He has 98 receptions for 1,511 yards and 17 touchdowns. During last Saturday’s 52-46 win over Florida in the SEC title game, Smith (3,620 yards) passed Amari Cooper (3,463 from 2012-14) as Alabama’s all-time leader in receiving yardage.

Quarterback Mac Jones also is in the Heisman mix and has thrown for 3,739 yards and 32 touchdowns against four interceptions. Najee Harris has rushed for 1,262 yards and 24 touchdowns and also has three receiving scores.

“We’ve certainly been very productive on offense,” Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said on a video call. “This has been an unusual year for a lot of teams but I think our players have stayed focus on the right things amid a lot of abnormal things.”

The offensive fireworks aren’t just limited to the current season. Alabama has scored 35 or more points in a major-college record 24 consecutive games since losing to Clemson 44-16 in the CFP title game to end the 2018 season.

The Crimson Tide are 22-2 during the stretch but Saban isn’t much interested in hearing about how the semifinal matchup with Notre Dame is going to be some type of easy stroll in the park.

“I know they have a really good team,” Saban said on ESPN. “I know have a really good quarterback. They have a tough defense. They have some skilled guys who can make plays.

“You don’t win 10 games in a season without having really good players.”

Quarterback Ian Book has a 30-4 record as a starter for the Irish. He has passed for 2,601 yards and 15 touchdowns with only two interceptions in 314 attempts.

Book ranks second in school history with 8,719 yards and 72 touchdowns. Brady Quinn (2003-06) is the leader in both categories (11,762 yards, 95 TD passes).

Kyren Williams has excelled on the ground with 1,061 yards and 12 touchdowns for an offense averaging 35.2 points, which rates 22nd nationally.

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah had a team-best 11 tackles for loss and he was named winner of the Butkus Award on Monday as the nation’s top linebacker.

Malachi Moore has three interceptions for the Crimson Tide, who are 20th nationally in scoring defense (19.5).

The winner of this game will face either No. 2 Clemson or No. 3 Ohio State in the national championship game.

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MISSISSIPPI ST vs ALABAMA
When: 3:30 PM ET, Saturday, November 10, 2018
Where: Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

TV: 3:30 PM
LINE: -24.5
PREDICTION: ALABAMA , MISSISSIPPI ST

Oddsmakers currently have the ALABAMA listed as -24.5 point favorites versus the MISSISSIPPI ST, while the game’s total is sitting at 51.5.

Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is once again dealing with soreness in his right knee, but the sophomore standout says he will be on the field when the top-ranked Crimson Tide host 15th-ranked Mississippi State on Saturday in SEC play. Tagovailoa aggravated the troublesome knee during last Saturday’s 29-0 win over LSU, a game in which Alabama totaled 576 yards to top 500 for the ninth straight game.

Tagovailoa finally tossed his first interception of the season against LSU but also threw two touchdowns to raise his count to 27, three shy of the school mark held by AJ McCarron (2012). His stellar campaign is the prime reason why Alabama – which also is atop the College Football Playoff rankings – leads the nation in both scoring offense (51.3 points per game) and total offense (565.6 per game). The Bulldogs (16th CFP) are tied for second in scoring defense (11.3) and stand sixth in total defense (278.7) and are hoping senior quarterback Nick Fitzgerald can engineer an upset. “I need to be a leader and keep everybody calm, cool and collected,” Fitzgerald told reporters. “Don’t let it get into people’s heads that we are playing Alabama. We try to play to our standard every week and that is what we are going to do (this) week, as well.”

TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Alabama -24.5

ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE (6-3, 2-3 SEC): Fitzgerald passed for four touchdowns and topped 100 yards rushing for the 19th time in his career as the Bulldogs rolled to a 45-3 victory over Louisiana Tech last Saturday. He has thrown for 1,252 yards, 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions while adding 839 yards and nine scores on the ground. Senior defensive end Montez Sweat has recorded 9.5 sacks to raise his career total to 20 (sixth in school history) while senior safety Johnathan Abram has a team-high 68 tackles.

ABOUT ALABAMA (9-0, 6-0): Tagovailoa is meshing well with sophomore wideout Jerry Jeudy, who caught eight passes for 103 yards against LSU for his fourth 100-yard outing of the season. Jeudy has caught 39 passes for 880 yards – a 22.6 average – and has 10 touchdown receptions, including two TDs in a game on four occasions. The defensive unit allows 14.1 points per game (seventh nationally) and 295.4 yards (11th) and sophomore nose guard Quinnen Williams had 3.5 tackles for loss (including 2.5 sacks) against LSU to increase his season total to a team-high 12.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Alabama has won the past 10 meetings, including a 31-24 victory last season.

2. The Bulldogs have scored 16 total points in their three defeats (against Kentucky, Florida and LSU).

3. Crimson Tide sophomore RB Najee Harris (ankle) and sophomore WR Henry Ruggs III (leg) were injured against LSU, but both are expected to be available Saturday.

PREDICTION: Alabama 35, Mississippi State 9

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ARKANSAS ST vs ALABAMA
When: 9/8/2018 3:30 PM
Where:

TV: 3:30 PM
LINE:
PREDICTION: ALABAMA , ARKANSAS ST

Oddsmakers currently have the ALABAMA listed as point favorites versus the ARKANSAS ST, while the game’s total is sitting at .

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LOUISVILLE vs ALABAMA
When: 8:00 PM ET, Saturday, September 1, 2018
Where: Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida

TV: 8:00 PM
LINE: -25.5
PREDICTION: ALABAMA , LOUISVILLE

Oddsmakers currently have the ALABAMA listed as -25.5 point favorites versus the LOUISVILLE, while the game’s total is sitting at 61.

Top-ranked Alabama begins its quest for its sixth national championship under coach Nick Saban when the Crimson Tide oppose Louisville on Saturday in Orlando, Fla. Alabama, which defeated Georgia in last season’s College Football Playoff title game, is looking to win 12 or more games for the fifth consecutive season.

The quarterback situation remains in flux with junior Jalen Hurts and sophomore Tua Tagovailoa listed as co-No. 1s on the depth chart, and Saban has not indicated which way he’s leaning in terms of a starter. “They’ve both done a good job in fall camp,” Saban said at a press conference. “We’re excited about the progress both guys have made and what they’re capable of doing.” Louisville is breaking in a new starting signal-caller in sophomore Jawon Pass and coach Bobby Petrino understands what a huge challenge Pass and his team are facing. “The No. 1 thing we have to do is believe that we can go down there and beat them so that when you truly believe in something, then you go out and play your best, play to the best of your ability, and that’s what’s important for us,” Petrino said at a press conference. “If there’s any disbelief at all, usually you underachieve, and that’s the main thing we can’t do. We need to go play our best game to give us an opportunity to win.”

TV: 8 p.m. ET, ABC. LINE: Alabama -24.5

ABOUT LOUISVILLE (2017: 8-5): Pass (33 career passing attempts) has big shoes to fill as the replacement for 2016 Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson, and Petrino said he has been pleased with the youngster’s accuracy and decision-making during fall camp. Senior receiver Jaylen Smith (appendectomy on Aug. 3) is expected to play against the Crimson Tide and aims to build on a stellar 2017 campaign in which he caught 60 passes for 980 yards and seven touchdowns. Sophomore linebacker Dorian Etheridge (team-high 83 tackles last season) and junior defensive end Jonathan Greenard (team-best 15.5 tackles for loss, including seven sacks) lead the defensive unit under new coordinator Brian VanGorder.

ABOUT ALABAMA (2017: 13-1): The quarterback competition is intriguing as Hurts is 26-2 as a starter and ranks fourth in school history with 40 career touchdown passes, while Tagovailoa (no career starts) threw three touchdowns in the national title game to rally the Crimson Tide to the victory. Saban declined to reveal if both quarterbacks will see action, cutting off a question with this: “Look, none of that’s been decided yet. I wish we could talk about something else because I don’t really have anything else to say about it.” The defense will again be strong with junior defensive end Raekwon Davis (team-best 8.5 sacks last season) being the best of the bunch, but the secondary is breaking in four new starters and two outside linebackers – junior Terrell Lewis and sophomore Christopher Allen – have been lost with season-ending knee injuries.

EXTRA POINTS
1. Alabama has won two of the three previous meetings, but the Cardinals routed the Crimson Tide 34-7 in the Fiesta Bowl following the 1990 regular season.
2. Smith is 45 yards away from becoming the 11th Louisville player to reach 2,000 career receiving yards.
3. Crimson Tide senior RB Damien Harris (2,194 career rushing yards) has a career average of 6.7 yards per carry, third in program history behind Wilbur Jackson (7.2 from 1971-73) and Eddie Lacy (6.8 from 2010-12).

PREDICTION: Alabama 38, Louisville 19

The post LOUISVILLE vs. ALABAMA 9/1/2018 Free Pick & CFB Betting Prediction appeared first on IdealCapper.

Clemson Tigers vs Alabama Crimson Tide
When: 8:00 PM ET, Monday, January 9, 2017
Where: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

TV: 8:17 p.m. ET, ESPN.
LINE: Alabama -6.5
PREDICTION: Alabama 30, Clemson 28

Oddsmakers currently have the ALABAMA listed as -6.5 point favorites versus the CLEMSON, while the game’s total is sitting at 51.

There just might be an antidote to Alabama’s best-in-the-nation defense. His name is Deshaun Watson.

Clemson’s junior quarterback rolled up 478 yards and directed the Tigers to 40 points in last season’s national championship loss to the Tide. He’s back for more — especially a ring — when No. 1 Alabama (14-0) and No. 2 Clemson (13-1) play Monday in Tampa, Fla., for this season’s title (8 p.m. ET, ESPN).

“Deshaun Watson has played big in every game since he’s been at Clemson,” Tigers coach Dabo Swinney said. “I think he’s played great his whole three years. I mean, great.”

If anybody is going to unravel the Tide, it’s Watson. He’s an athletic dual-threat. He has a big arm and go-deep receivers. That all means big plays. You don’t beat Alabama with methodical 12-play, 75-yard drives. You need “chunk” plays. You need “splash” plays.

Clemson carved up Alabama with 10 plays of 20-plus yards last season. Contrast that to Saturday, when the Tide allowed one such play — a 20-yard pass — in a dominating 24-7 semifinal victory over Washington.

“I thought he played fantastic against us last year,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said of Watson.

“He may be arguably the best player in college football. The guy is very athletic. He’s got a great understanding of their offense. He does a really good job of executing for his team. He can extend plays. He can run. He can run quarterback runs. And he’s a terrific passer. I mean, he is the complete package.”

The knock on Watson — the Heisman runner-up this season and third-place finisher last year — are his 30 interceptions in 29 games in the past two seasons.

While that might be disconcerting for Clemson fans, it’s probably not as distressing as losing your offensive play-caller the week before the season’s biggest game.

That’s the highly unusual position Alabama is in after Saban parted ways with Lane Kiffin on Monday, saying that Kiffin hasn’t been able to successfully juggle two jobs since accepting the coaching position at Florida Atlantic.

Saban elevated offensive analyst Steve Sarkisian to coordinator. Sarkisian has been involved with the planning of the offense this season, but, by NCAA rule, wasn’t able to coach at practice or otherwise instruct the players.

Now, Sarkisian directs freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts and tries to find a play-calling rhythm against a Clemson defense coming off a 31-0 shutout of Ohio State.

Hurts has many of the same qualities as Watson, just in a younger package. In fact, when he enrolled early at Alabama at last year’s winter break, he played the role of Watson on the Tide’s scout team in preparation for the title game, won 45-40 by the Tide.

Hurts was the SEC Offensive Player of the Year, directing an offense that was best when it played up-tempo. Alabama often relied on its ground attack, led by Hurts and running backs Damien Harris and Bo Scarbrough, but it has multiple threats in the passing game, including receivers ArDarius Stewart and Calvin Ridley, and tight end O.J. Howard, the offensive MVP of last season’s championship game.

“I guess you’ve got some nuances that might be a little bit different maybe from a play-call or something like that, but it’s not like they’re going to come out and run the triple option,” Swinney said of Alabama’s change of coordinators.

“They’re going to do what they do. It’s just as simple as that. Why would they change? Nobody has stopped them.”

Alabama, going for its fifth title in eight seasons, leads the country in total defense, scoring defense and rushing defense. Clemson is salty, too, seventh in scoring defense and eighth in total defense.

One mistake by either quarterback could be the difference. Alabama has scored 11 times on defense this season and will be hunting off-target throws by Watson. Clemson, as is its usual strategy under coordinator Brent Venables, will bring defensive pressure and force Hurts to make quick decisions and complete passes in the intermediate and deep zones.

No true freshman quarterback has led his team to the national championship since 1985, when Jamelle Holieway did so for Oklahoma.

Will quarterback experience matter?

Will defenses rule?

Clemson is going for its first national title since 1981, and Swinney said these Tigers have “more juice” than the 2015 squad. Meanwhile, at Alabama, winning never gets old.

“When you play an outstanding opponent, that’s something that in and of itself as a competitor is motivation,” Saban said. “And that’s certainly the case in this game.”

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AUBURN vs ALABAMA
When: 11/26/2016 3:30 PM

TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Alabama -17
PREDICTION: Alabama 30, Auburn 17

Top-ranked Alabama already wrapped up the SEC West and plays East winner Florida for the conference championship Dec. 3, but that doesn’t mean the Crimson Tide is looking past Auburn.

Alabama coach Nick Saban said the Iron Bowl rivalry will define the “legacy of the season” in terms of what the Crimson Tide is trying to accomplish.

“I think this is one of the greatest rivalry games in the country,” Saban said. “I know it means a lot to a lot of people in this state as well as nationally and the competitors in the game probably enjoy this kind of competition, this kind of rivalry as much as any game that they play.”

The Crimson Tide host the No. 16 Tigers at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS).

Alabama (11-0, 7-0 SEC) goes into the game with the nation’s No. 1 defense against the run, holding foes to fewer than 69 yards per game rushing, and No. 2 in scoring defense (11.4 points). The defense scored nine touchdowns on five fumble returns and four interception runbacks this season.

Add in three punt returns for touchdowns and the Tide scored 12 non-offensive touchdowns, twice as many as the next two FBS teams on the list (Ohio State and Houston).

Offensively, the Tide averages nearly 478 yards in total offense with freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts passing for 197 per game and rushing for 73. Running backs Damien Harris and Josh Jacobs combined to average more than 121 yards rushing.

Auburn’s defense, however, allowed only 15 touchdowns in 11 games, limited opponents to about 118 rushing yards per game, and allowed an average of 334.5 yards in total offense, which is 18th-best in the country and fifth in the SEC.

The Tigers (8-3, 5-2) can also to put pressure on opposing passers (25 sacks, 82 quarterback hurries) and when they can’t get to the quarterback, they have a knack for batting the ball down at the line of scrimmage. Defensive linemen Montravius Adams, Marlon Davidson, Dontavius Russell, Maurice Swain and Derrick Brown have combined for 10 pass breakups.

“Obviously, we’re working for sacks,” Auburn defensive coordinator Kevin Steele said. “But more importantly, we’re working to affect the quarterback, and one of the ways to affect the quarterback is to get your hands up and bat balls.”

But the Tigers are unsettled on the offensive side of things. Though running back Kamryn Pettway, their leading rusher with 1,108 yards, is expected to play after missing the last two games with a leg injury and starter Kerryon Johnson’s ankle seems to get better each week, the situation at quarterback remains a mystery.

Sophomore Sean White sat out last week’s victory over Alabama A&M with a sore shoulder and senior Jeremy Johnson started. Johnson was effective in only his third game this season, completing 14 of 19 passes for 147 yards in the 55-0 rout.

But that was against an overmatched FCS foe. Need it even be said that Alabama’s defense presents a much bigger challenge?

White, who is 129 of 198 passing for 1,644 yards and nine touchdowns, has been on and off the field in recent games. He didn’t start against Vanderbilt but came in to rally the Tigers from a three-point halftime deficit to a 23-16 victory.

The next week, he started against Georgia but re-injured his shoulder and was largely ineffective as the Tigers lost 13-7. He didn’t play at all last week as Johnson and John Franklin III took over.

Offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said that Johnson could start again with Franklin as an alternative.

“I thought Jeremy and John both did a good job,” Lashless said of their performance last week. “They’ve been repping for us the last couple of weeks of practice when Sean hasn’t been practicing. We’ll see where Sean is in the process.

“We’ll try to make a call, at least on our end, earlier in the week so we can prepare the way we need to, but I wouldn’t rule any of them out right now.”

Alabama prevailed 29-13 last year and won six of the last eight meetings to take a 44-35-1 series lead.

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