The Alabama Crimson Tide are 26-1 straight up and 17-10 against the spread over their last 27 games overall. The Crimson Tide will try to earn another win Saturday night when they face the Florida State Seminoles at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Alabama favored over FSU by about a touchdown, plus other Vegas notes
The Tide and the Seminoles clash for early college football supremacy Saturday night, with Jalen Hurts and company favorites by a touchdown.
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Alabama is a 7-point betting favorite in Atlanta at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. This will be just the second time since 2015 that the Crimson Tide have closed a regular season game as a single-digit favorite.
Alabama Crimson Tide
While known best for its defense that finished second in the nation in total defense (allowing 248 yards per game) and first in scoring defense (11.8 points per game), Alabama was also very strong on offense last year. The Crimson Tide ranked seventh in the nation in total yards with 6,829 and averaged 38.8 points per game as well, good for 16th best in the country.
Jalen Hurts returns at quarterback and both Damien Harris and Bo Scarbrough return in the backfield of what should once again be an elite offense to compliment the best defense in the nation.
In their last 11 games going off as a favorite of two touchdowns or less, the Crimson Tide are 10-1 SU and 8-3 ATS per the OddsShark College Football Database.
Betting Line / Total: Alabama -7 / 49 Points
Florida State is 5-1 ATS in its last six games in Week 1.
Alabama is 8-1 ATS in its last nine games in Week 1.
Florida State Seminoles
Florida State had a breakout star in redshirt freshman quarterback Deondre Francois last season. Francois showed poise beyond his age with 3,350 passing yards and 20 touchdown passes in 2016 despite playing in a run-heavy offense. The young quarterback should see an uptick in pass attempts this season, but the Seminoles still figure to be an elite rushing team with a strong backfield and offensive line.
The Seminoles have been a betting underdog just four times since the start of the 2015 season and are 2-2 SU and 4-0 ATS in those four contests.
Saturday night’s total is set at 49 points on the Vegas lines. The OVER is 14-6 in Florida State’s last 20 games as an underdog.
The AP Top 25 Poll and the Coaches Poll both have Alabama ranked at No. 1 and Florida State ranked at No. 3. A loss in the first week of the season will create an uphill battle towards a playoff spot for one of these teams, while a win over another elite team would make a statement right out of the gate.
Florida State Seminoles vs. Alabama Crimson Tide
When: Saturday, Sept. 2, 8 p.m. ET
Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
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