With each passing calendar day, we get closer to Week 0. I’m drooling at the thought of college football being back already, and it’s not even June.
Luckily for our sports betting leisure, we have plenty of options to put some action down in preparation for the season.
I will be releasing a breakdown of them every Friday leading up to the start of the season. I will also be tweeting them out (@Kmalstrom) as I add them, as well as putting them in the Action App at Kmalstrom.
This week, let’s have a look at the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Nick Saban’s Revenge Tour
Stop me if you have heard this before — Alabama football is good. Very good.
After writing a preview for the potential game of the year in Texas A&M vs. Alabama after Jimbo Fisher’s presser, the Tide stole my attention in the futures market.
Not only are they going to dismantle the Aggies, but they will potentially also steamroll the SEC. Very brave of me to say, I know.
This team brings in the second-best recruiting class while returning arguably the best player in college football in Will Anderson and a familiar Heisman-winning face in Bryce Young.
Alabama boasts a 76 percent defensive TARP (Transferring Assets and Returning Production), and the offense sits at 67 percent — impressive for a consistently elite program that deals with constant turnover.
Hold the line
While Young will garner all of the attention as he makes his run at a repeat Heisman campaign, the offensive line will be the focus for Saban — especially after getting dismantled by Georgia in the National Championship.
While the unit took a big hit with the departures of first-round pick Evan Neal and Chris Owens, new offensive line coach Eric Wolford will have plenty of talent to work with this season. JC Latham and Damieon George Jr. saw starter minutes in 2021, and Vanderbilt transfer Tyler Steen could also play a key role.
Alabama ended last season ranked 66th in Havoc Allowed — a number it will improve on if the offensive line focus in the offseason translates to September.
New faces, same ’Bama
Alabama put up great numbers on offense last season, finishing 22nd in Success Rate and second in Finishing Drives. Can it replicate that success with new faces all over the offense?
I believe it can.
While Young had a historically great Heisman season last year, he may see a more open field with extra time, which is scary to think about considering how dangerous the offense already was.
This will bode well as he gets a feel for the new faces at receiver. Georgia transfer Jermaine Burton, JoJo Earle and Ja’Corey Brooks will look to catch the bulk of Young’s passes.
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Earle hauled in just 12 passes for 148 yards last season, while Brooks recorded 15 receptions for 192 yards and two scores. Burton, meanwhile, is coming off a national title victory over his new teammates.
It’s never easy to replicate the success Bama had in 2021, but the Tide will be more than poised to pull it off.
Verdict on Crimson Tide
While I rarely advocate taking a favorite for a long period of time, I just can’t help but feel that we won’t see a better number for Alabama to win the SEC at any point this season.
With a pissed-off Saban at the helm and a revamped offensive line to help Young pick apart opposing defenses, this will spell doom for the college football landscape.
I haven’t even mentioned that the defense brings back a bulk of its production with Anderson looking to rival Young’s Heisman campaign.
I recommend taking the Tide to win the SEC at -125 now at DraftKings, as this number will only climb as ’Bama picks apart a weakened SEC that has more lingering questions across the conference than usual.
Texas A&M, LSU, Ole Miss and Auburn all have questions or new faces at quarterback. Mississippi State and Tennessee have disappointed, and Alabama should have no trouble taking care of Utah State, Texas, UL Monroe, Vanderbilt and Austin Peay.
With a projection for a near-perfect season, Alabama should have no struggles in its pursuit of an SEC title this season.
Pick: Alabama to Win SEC (-125).
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