Saturday College Football: Best Bets for Saturday, November 29
Saturday Odds
Alabama opened as a 5.5-point favorite in its matchup against Auburn. Since the opening odds were posted, Alabama ruled out its top tight end as well as a couple of other players. But Auburn is likewise down multiple starters, so there is nothing meaningful to glean from the injury report. With injuries representing an uninteresting factor for the betting outcome of this game, I don’t foresee any significant shift in the odds.
If you look at how Alabama’s road games have gone, then it would make sense to see Auburn as an underdog of around six points. However, Alabama’s unique motivation in this game – its determination to annihilate its opponent in order to help secure its playoff spots – its ability to cover the spread at Georgia, and Auburn’s struggles at home suggest the possibility of a larger Bama victory.
Saturday Picks
The fact that Auburn scored all of three points at home against Kentucky suggests that Alabama might not need to score all that much in order to cover the spread in this matchup. The Tigers have struggled all season to find a decent quarterback to complement their statistically mediocre ground attack with. While they benefited from head coach Hugh Freeze departing and Derrick Nix becoming the sole play-caller, their high point total against Vanderbilt with its 122nd pass defense is unimpressive. The element of surprise is also gone. I can’t imagine Auburn’s offense outperforming Oklahoma’s, which, led by former Heisman frontrunner and dual-threat quarterback John Mateer, mustered all of 212 total yards against Alabama’s twelfth-ranked defense.
Any coaching-related advantage that Auburn might have from Freeze’s departure will be more than negated by the loss of attention that D.J. Durkin, who was promoted from his defensive coordinator position to the interim head coach role, is able to devote to his defense. Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia annihilated Auburn’s newly deficient defense – Pavia’s 377 passing yards, three touchdowns, and 201.7 passer rating helped Vanderbilt amass 45 points against the Tigers. I expect Alabama’s former Heisman candidate, quarterback Ty Simpson, to achieve similar success.
This is a huge game for Alabama, whose ability to cover the spread at Georgia proves its big-game readiness. The Tide are well-prepared to neutralize Auburn’s dual-threat quarterback and to mount a vastly superior pass attack that will generate a sufficiently high scoring output. For the above reasons, wager on Alabama -5.5 at -115 with Bovada.
Saturday Odds
Alabama opened as a 5.5-point favorite in its matchup against Auburn. Since the opening odds were posted, Alabama ruled out its top tight end as well as a couple of other players. But Auburn is likewise down multiple starters, so there is nothing meaningful to glean from the injury report. With injuries representing an uninteresting factor for the betting outcome of this game, I don’t foresee any significant shift in the odds.
If you look at how Alabama’s road games have gone, then it would make sense to see Auburn as an underdog of around six points. However, Alabama’s unique motivation in this game – its determination to annihilate its opponent in order to help secure its playoff spots – its ability to cover the spread at Georgia, and Auburn’s struggles at home suggest the possibility of a larger Bama victory.
Saturday Picks
The fact that Auburn scored all of three points at home against Kentucky suggests that Alabama might not need to score all that much in order to cover the spread in this matchup. The Tigers have struggled all season to find a decent quarterback to complement their statistically mediocre ground attack with. While they benefited from head coach Hugh Freeze departing and Derrick Nix becoming the sole play-caller, their high point total against Vanderbilt with its 122nd pass defense is unimpressive. The element of surprise is also gone. I can’t imagine Auburn’s offense outperforming Oklahoma’s, which, led by former Heisman frontrunner and dual-threat quarterback John Mateer, mustered all of 212 total yards against Alabama’s twelfth-ranked defense.
Any coaching-related advantage that Auburn might have from Freeze’s departure will be more than negated by the loss of attention that D.J. Durkin, who was promoted from his defensive coordinator position to the interim head coach role, is able to devote to his defense. Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia annihilated Auburn’s newly deficient defense – Pavia’s 377 passing yards, three touchdowns, and 201.7 passer rating helped Vanderbilt amass 45 points against the Tigers. I expect Alabama’s former Heisman candidate, quarterback Ty Simpson, to achieve similar success.
This is a huge game for Alabama, whose ability to cover the spread at Georgia proves its big-game readiness. The Tide are well-prepared to neutralize Auburn’s dual-threat quarterback and to mount a vastly superior pass attack that will generate a sufficiently high scoring output. For the above reasons, wager on Alabama -5.5 at -115 with Bovada.