Alabama Crimson Tide at Florida Gators Odds

Betting Odds

Point Spread: Alabama (-4.5)
Game Total Line: (NL)
(wagering lines available at 5Dimes)

One of the best in the SEC-West takes on the top team in the SEC-East this upcoming Saturday night when the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Florida Gators square-off in what could be a preview of this year’s conference title game. The kick-off for this one is slated for 8 p.m. (ET) and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.

Alabama opened its conference play with a bang last Saturday by cruising past then-No.14 Arkansas 38-14 as an 11-point home favorite. This was its second win over a ranked opponent after hammering Penn State 27-11 as a 10-point road favorite in Week 2. The total has gone 2-2 in its first four games.

The Tide have rolled to a 4-0 record straight-up behind punishing ground game that is averaging 230.8 yards per game. Trent Richardson has led the way with 441 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 67 carries. Eddie Lacy has also been a force with 365 yards on 41 carries for an impressive average of 8.9 yards per attempt.

Florida has worked its way to 4-0 with two straight conference victories over Tennessee and Kentucky. Two weeks ago it beat the Volunteers 33-23 as a 10-point home favorite in a game that ended as a ‘push’ and routed the Wildcats 48-10 as a 17.5-point road favorite this past Saturday. The total went ‘over’ in both of those games.

The Gators are getting it done on the ground as well with an average of 259 rushing yards a game. They also have a pair of solid backs in Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps. Rainey has rushed for 411 yards on 63 carries, while Demps has 320 yards on just 34 attempts. The two have combined for eight scores; six running the ball and two through the air.

Both of these teams also boast a stingy defense that is ranked in the top five in the nation in points allowed. Alabama comes in ranked second, giving up an average of eight points a game, while Florida is ranked fourth, giving up an average of just nine.

The Tide is 6-2 against the spread in its last eight games and the total has gone ‘over’ in three of its last five games. They are 11-5 ATS in their last 16 games on the road.

The Gators are 7-2-1 ATS in their last 10 games, but just 2-5-1 ATS in their last eight games against a team with a winning record. The total has gone ‘over’ in three of their last five games.

Head-to-head in this series, Alabama has won five of the last seven games SU and is 7-1-1 ATS in the last nine meetings. The total has stayed ‘under’ in five of the last eight games.

Game Betting Pick

This time around should be another low-scoring contest as both teams will look to grind it out on the ground, but stick with the Tide to come out on top and cover the 4.5-point spread.
Take the Alabama Crimson Tide -4.5 at 5Dimes (Best Reduced Juice Sportsbook).