Subscribe
Follow Us
The Utah State Aggies take on the Alabama Crimson Tide. Check out our college football odds series for our Utah State Alabama prediction and pick.
The Utah State Aggies were able to open their season in late August against the Connecticut Huskies. Was it a case of looking ahead to Alabama, or were the Aggies simply not that good? That's the big question after USU produced a shaky 31-20 win over UConn. This was a really weird game. Utah State did not score in the first or third quarters. The Aggies went lengthy periods without scoring a point in this game. They also scored 24 points in the second quarter to turn a 14-0 deficit into a halftime lead. Utah State quarterback Logan Bonner had a statistically good game, completing 20 of 29 passes for over 280 yards without an interception, but the Utah State offense didn't look very good other than the second quarter. UConn looked like a more physical team than Utah State in the first quarter, and the Aggies never fully shook the Huskies until the final minutes, when a questionable defensive pass interference penalty on UConn enabled Utah State to score the touchdown which put the game away. We have to wonder if this was just a case of Week 1 rust combined with looking ahead to Alabama, or if this Utah State team is not as strong as initially advertised. The defending Mountain West Conference champions have a lot to prove in this game.
Alabama has reached the College Football Playoff National Championship Game in six of the eight years the playoff has been held. The Crimson Tide have reached the title game in six of the past seven seasons. Bama has made the championship game in consecutive years, winning it all in 2020 and losing to Georgia last season. As another year begins, everyone expects Alabama to be in the big game once more. This expectation is well-earned because Alabama keeps proving itself year after year.
The biggest reason to like Alabama football in 2022 is that the best players from last year's team are back. Will Anderson is, in many eyes, the best player on this team. Many experts felt he, not Bryce Young, should have won the 2021 Heisman Trophy. Young got the award because the Heisman has become — in most years — an award given to the quarterback on the most high-profile College Football Playoff team. Anderson, though, was an anchor for a defense which was terrific last season. The fact that he is coming back for another years should make Alabama's defense especially tough.
Then consider the impact of Bryce Young in this Alabama offense. Young did not have a very good offensive line in front of him in 2021. That group is the central key to Bama's success in 2022. If Young, who has a year of experience under his belt, gets the benefit of dramatically improved pass protection and can sit in the pocket to make throws, Alabama's offense is going to be impossible to stop this year. The pieces are certainly in place for the Tide to roll in 2022.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Utah State-Alabama College Football odds.
College Football Odds: Utah State-Alabama Odds
Utah State Aggies: +41.5 (-110)
Alabama Crimson Tide: -41.5 (-110)
Over: 62.5 (-108)
Article Continues Below
Under: 62.5 (-112)
Why Utah State Could Cover the Spread
Utah State was looking ahead to Alabama when it sleepwalked past UConn. The spread is so high here because there is an underlying belief that Utah State just isn't good, attached to the clunky performance against UConn. If Utah State was looking ahead and saving its best effort for Bama, however, the Aggies become a team which can definitely lose by fewer than 30 points, let alone 42.
Why Alabama Could Cover the Spread
After seeing Utah State physically struggle with UConn, Alabama — in its first game of the season — should be licking its chops, waiting to take a blowtorch to a physically inferior team it can boss around in the trenches all day long. Alabama will lead 14-0 in the first 10 minutes. It will lead by 28 late in the second quarter. It will win by 49.
Final Utah State-Alabama Prediction & Pick
Utah State surely is a lot better than it showed against UConn. The Aggies obviously won't win outright, but they just as obviously won't lose by 42 or more points. Alabama is not six touchdowns better than the Mountain West champions.
Final Utah State-Alabama Prediction & Pick: Utah State +41.5
