Texas vs Alabama Opening Odds – Crimson Tide 6.5-Point Favorites Over Longhorns in Week 2
- Alabama hosts Texas in a Week 2 matchup between two college football blue bloods
- The Crimson Tide open as 6.5-point favorites over the Longhorns
- Read below for Texas vs Alabama odds and early line-movement predictions for Sep. 9, 2023
One year after an electric almost-upset by Texas, the Longhorns will have a chance for revenge against Alabama as they meet the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa on Saturday, September 9th, at 7 pm ET.
This year, despite Alabama playing host, oddsmakers are projecting a much closer game than the initial projection last season: Alabama was 21-point favorite in 2022, but only 6.5-point home favorites in the early Week 2 college football odds.
Of course, a lot can change in a year, and that holds especially true for this Alabama squad. Gone is the starting QB Bryce Young, who was the number 1 pick in the 2023 NFL draft, as well as two other players from last year’s Alabama team that were drafted in the top 12: third-overall pick Will Anderson and 12th-overall pick Jahmyr Gibbs.
Opening Texas vs Alabama Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Longhorns | +6.5 | +205 | O 56.5 (-110) |
| Alabama Crimson Tide | -6.5 | -255 | U 56.5 (-110) |
Alabama is a -255 favorite on the moneyline, while Texas comes back as a +205 underdog. The opening game total is sitting at 56.5. Kickoff for Texas vs Alabama is 7 pm ET on Saturday, September 9th. ESPN will have the broadcast.
Odds as of Sep. 3 at FanDuel. Lock in this FanDuel promo code to bet on Texas vs Alabama or see other college football betting apps.
Alabama Rolls Middle Tennessee
As 39.5-point favorites, there was little doubt whether Alabama would actually secure the win against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders. The bigger question was how the restructured Crimson Tide would look in their first game without the studs mentioned above, most notably QB Bryce Young.
They answered all those questions and then some, racing out to a 28-point lead at halftime and never slowing down. They scored exactly two touchdowns in all four quarters, winning by a final score of 56-7. New starting QB Jalen Milroe impressed in his debut, totaling five touchdowns on the day, with two on the ground and three through the air.
Jalen Milroe is the first QB in @AlabamaFTBL history with 3 Pass TD and 2 Rush TD in a game 🤯 pic.twitter.com/9iko5asAjp
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) September 3, 2023
Defensively, the Crimson Tide looked stout as well, allowing only 7 points and 211 total yards. Of course, Texas will be a different animal, but it was an encouraging start for Alabama in their quest to dethrone Georgia in the SEC. They remain second-favorites to the Bulldogs in the NCAAF national championship odds, sitting at an average of +617.
Texas Survives Against Rice
“Survive” might be a tad unfair to Texas, considering they ended up winning by 27 points, but things looked a little dicey for the Longhorns at the beginning of the game. As 35.5-point favorites, they were only leading 7-3 at the end of the first quarter, before outscoring the Owls by 30 points in the second and third quarters, combined, ending the game with a 37-10 victory.
Regardless, it wasn’t an encouraging start for Texas with how shaky they looked on offense, especially in the first half. Ewers entered Week 1 among the top-five favorites in the Heisman Trophy odds at +1200, but faded all the way to +1800 in the aftermath.
The Longhorns are going to have to clean some things up if they want to walk out of Tuscaloosa with a victory.
Texas vs Alabama Expected Line Movement
The guess here is that this line is going to end up moving in favor of Alabama. FanDuel has this at Alabama -6.5, but other books already have this spread at -7 or even -7.5. The reality is both Texas and Alabama were over 30-point favorites in their first game against an overmatched opponent, with Alabama covering the spread while Texas did not.
This will also be a home game for Alabama, and there is the possible revenge narrative for the Crimson Tide to prove themselves as legit national championship contenders in 2023 after struggling against this same Texas team in 2022.
UPDATE (09/06): Looking for our official Texas vs Alabama ATS pick? Check out the updated odds for the game and our Texas vs Alabama prediction.
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Matt Modi is a sports betting writer for SportsBettingDime. He offers his best bets for the NFL, NBA, NCAAF, & WNBA. Previously, Matt worked at OddsJam, where he covered all things sports betting. In his free time, Matt likes to take his two dogs for hikes in the Colorado mountains.
