Having a winning campaign just wasn’t enough for the Texas Longhorns, who jettisoned former coach Tom Herman after four successful seasons. In his place Steve Sarkisian brought back memories of the Charlie Strong era in Austin with a woeful 5-7 effort last year.
While the debut season for the former Bama offensive coordinator didn’t go well, things are looking up with a talented recruiting class coming in. The Horns will get a good test to see how they match up when they host the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday. No stranger to big spreads, the Tide is a 20-point favorite on the college football betting line.
Alabama vs Texas Date & Time
The Week 2 college football game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Texas Longhorns will take place at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, TX at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, September 10, 2022 and will be televised on FOX.
Alabama vs Texas Odds
Alabama Crimson Tide -20
Texas Longhorns +20
Over/Under 63.5
Odds Analysis
The No. 1 ranked team in college football, the Tide got their season started on a positive note blitzing Utah State 55-0 to cover the 41.5-point closing spread. Facing a double digit line is nothing new for Bama as they’re laying at least 20 points for the sixth time in their last seven regular season games going 7-0 SU and 4-3 ATS in that span. They needed a boost from the betting public to get the line for this game to 20 after opening as a 17-point favorite. Their impressive Week 1 win and uncertainty surrounding the Longhorns has the Tide getting plenty of action. This is a step up in competition for both squads after Texas knocked off UL-Monroe from the Sun Belt Conference, 52-10, in their opener.
Alabama Crimson Tide
Falling short of another national championship last season is motivation for a stacked Bama squad. They don’t build they reload and last week was an indication that they are among if not the best team in college football. It’s easy to talk about the offense since Bama was one of the best last year averaging 42.5 points and nearly 500 yards of offense. They were in control last week with Heisman hopeful Bryce Young throwing five first half scoring passes and the Tide nearly covering the line up 41-0 at the break.
We expect the offense to be top notch with the talent surrounding Young and getting a defensive effort like they did last week makes the Tide a more inviting pick. They held the Aggies to only 136 total yards and seven first downs dominating on both sides of the football. Texas is a step up in competition and Bama is on the road, but they can easily wear down good teams with their depth, and we’re not sure if Texas is a good team yet.
Texas Longhorns
Quinn Ewers wanted a chance to direct an offense and Steve Sarkisian gave it to him. Good enough to battle J.C. Stroud at Ohio State but not good enough to unseat him, Ewers entered the transfer portal ending up in Austin. And the plan to schedule UL-Monroe in the opener was a good one giving Ewers and the rest of the recruits a chance to get their feet wet before taking on Bama. So far the plan is successful. Ewers passed for 225 yards and a pair of scores in his debut leading the Horns to a 52-10 win. It was much-needed for Texas after going 5-7 last year.
Sarkisian noted there were a few mistakes by his young QB along the way but has no intention of changing the offensive scheme. Ewers tossed a pick on his second throw but settled down with the Horns taking care of business. Saturday’s game is a good measuring stick for Texas, but the coach isn’t putting too much emphasis on it, at least not publicly. However, after struggling last season and bringing in one of the top recruiting classes, there is plenty of optimism in Austin. With the program scheduled to move to the SEC in a few years the club gets a first-hand look at how the best team in the top conference operates. If the Horns can’t win the Big 12 they certainly don’t stand a chance in the SEC.
Alabama vs Texas Prediction
I do believe the Horns are on the right path back to being respectable. But joining the college football elite isn’t going to happen this season. One area that could possibly keep the Horns within the spread is special teams. Texas blocked a punt for a TD last week and will likely need big plays in this area. Unfortunately, they aren’t playing a middle of the pack G5 school and I can see Young and Alabama riddling UT defenders enough to get a cover.
Prediction: Alabama Crimson Tide -20 / UNDER 63.5
