Saturday, September 1 – The biggest game of opening weekend features a battle of top 10 teams, as No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide vs. No. 8 Michigan Wolverines puts an exclamation point on the Saturday action.
Michigan vs. Alabama
I’m surfing channels right now, catching parts of on-going games as we’re about 90 minutes from kick-off of the Bama-UM game. Nebraska is finally starting to pull away from Southern Miss, as they’re knocking on the door with a 22-point fourth quarter lead. Husker bettors are still nervous though, as they laid anywhere from 17. (texasautotrim.com) 5 to 20.5 points.
Alabama was a 14 point favorite earlier in the day, but that number moved to 13.5 and has now settled in at -13. Anyone who was waiting on getting the hook on the underdog lost out, as the value on Michigan is, I hesitate to say, gone. You can check the updated NCAA Odds at Pinnacle Sports.
That said, the line move has made the Crimson Tide an intriguing play now for me. I was likely going to sit this one out when the number was at -14, but I did like the Tide to win this game and in fact I like them to win convincingly…but I wasn’t anxious to lay two TDs.
I do expect Coach Saban and that SEC-defense to have a plan to handle Denard Robinson, who is obviously the focal point of the Wolverine offense. Control Robinson and you neuter this offense.
NCAA Picks: I expect this big physical Bama defense to have a solid game, which means points are going to be very difficult to come by for Michigan. When Bama has the ball, they will face a UM defense that boasts a lot of returning talent, which is noteworthy. However, I look at that experienced (and huge) O-line for the Tide, facing a Michigan D-line with new faces. This should be a clear advantage for Saban’s crew as the game wears on.
I’ll take Alabama -13 tonight.
Check out the Everyedge.com Sports Betting Forum for more discussion and picks on this big game.