The Alabama Crimson Tide likely have enough room for error to lose the SEC Championship game and still make the College Football Playoff, but they would prefer to head into the national semifinals in style. They will face off with the Florida Gators for the conference crown in Week 14.
Alabama, like usual, is a heavy favorite. The Crimson Tide have absolutely been dominating opponents the entire season and will aim to add Florida to that impressive list of talented foes who are outclassed.
This contest in Week 14 of the regular season will go down Saturday, December 3, 2016, at 4 p.m. ET at the Georgia Dome.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
Florida +24
Alabama -24
Over/Under 40
Odds Analysis
This game is being played at a neutral site and yet Alabama is still a heavy favorite. The Crimson Tide will have to win by a lopsided score to cover the spread and more than 67 percent of the early bets believe that is going to happen.
The scoring total is very low for a college football game and yet 75 percent of the money is jumping on the “under” in this matchup of two top-tier defenses.
Alabama is 12-0 straight up on the season and 8-4 against the spread. The Crimson Tide has been favored in all but one game this season and has covered in eight of those 11 attempts.
Florida is 8-3 straight up and 4-7 against the spread. The Gators have only been an underdog twice and have covered one of those times.
Key Stat
11.4. That’s how many points a game opponents are averaging against this stout Alabama defense. The unit leads the nation in points allowed and yards allowed, holding teams to 246.8 yards a game.
Last week against Auburn, the defense allowed just 182 total yards and 12 points. The Tigers became the tenth team that Alabama has held to 14 points or less this season, only Ole Miss and Arkansas has scored more.
Florida runs a pass-heavy offense behind quarterbacks Luke Del Rio and Austin Appleby. The Gators are averaging 24.1 points a game coming into this SEC Championship game and, like Alabama, have relied heavily on their defense this year.
Player to Watch
Jalen Hurts – The Alabama quarterback is the heart and soul of this offense and he proved it against last week against Auburn. Hurts overcame two first-half interceptions and came out much stronger in the final two quarters, finishing with 286 passing yards and two touchdowns to help Alabama to a 30- 13 win over the Tigers.
Hurts also added a rushing touchdown in the victory. The true freshman has thrown for 2,454 yards with 21 touchdowns and nine interceptions this season and also has 840 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.
His 65.9 completion percentage is the best of any SEC quarterback and despite some moments where inexperience has revealed some cracks, he’s always managed to bounce back. Behind Hurts, Alabama’s offense is averaging 39.4 points a game.
Free ATS Pick
Alabama is the favorite to win the national championship for a second consecutive year as it has been a dominant group this season. The Crimson Tide have an elite defense and an offense with many weapons.
If Florida can somehow hang around, it will be because of its strong defense. The Gators have to force Hurts into precarious positions and hope he makes some mistakes.
The Gators, though, will likely end up like everyone else Alabama has faced this season. The Crimson Tide is the clear best team in the country and even a solid program like Florida will have trouble remaining competitive.
Choose Alabama to cover once again, and the “over” to be the right call on the scoring total as the Crimson Tide offense could have a nice day.
College Football Odds: Alabama 37, Florida 10
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
