The No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide are 11-0 straight up in season openers under Head Coach Nick Saban and are 9-1 against the spread in their last 10 season openers. The Crimson Tide will kick off their national title defense this Saturday when they take on the Louisville Cardinals at Camping World Stadium.
Louisville vs. Alabama 2018 odds: Heavy betting line favors the Crimson Tide in Orlando
The Alabama Crimson Tide clash with the Louisville Cardinals in Orlando this Saturday night, with the defending national champions clear betting favorites at the sportsbooks.
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Alabama is a 24.5-point betting favorite in Orlando at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. This line originally opened with the Crimson Tide as a 28.5-point favorite, but bettors have been enticed by the points and bet this game down to its current line.
Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Louisville Cardinals
When: Saturday, September 1, 8:00 p.m. ET
Where: Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida
Betting Line / Total: Alabama -24.5 / 62.5 Points
Alabama Crimson Tide
The Crimson Tide have a handful of big holes to fill on defense, but this has not been a problem under Saban, who always has a depth chart full of five-star recruits waiting to step in.
Still, it will certainly bring the coaching staff some relief that Lamar Jackson isn’t under center for Louisville. Alabama’s offense should be elite regardless of who is under center between Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa. The Crimson Tide have won each of their last 40 games as a double-digit favorite.
Since 2008, Alabama has played against ACC opponents eight times. The Crimson Tide are 7-1 SU and 6-2 ATS over that stretch per the OddsShark College Football Database.
Louisville Cardinals
Despite losing Jackson, Louisville’s offense should be the team’s strength again in 2018. Jawon Pass will not run like Jackson did and will return the Cardinals to a pocket passing system; something they could thrive in over the course of the season but will likely struggle in against Alabama’s stout defense.
Louisville enters this game with an 8-0 ATS record in its last eight games as a double-digit underdog.
Saturday night’s total is set at 62.5 points. The UNDER is 4-0 in Louisville’s last four games.
Defense was a major issue for Louisville in 2018 and there is no reason to expect a quick turnaround against an offense as deep and versatile as Alabama’s will be. Louisville’s best shot at keeping this one close will be to put up points on a defense that has consistently been one of the nation’s best over the last decade. Taking the points may be tempting, but it’ll be an uphill battle.
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