The UL Monroe Warhawks take on the Alabama Crimson Tide. Check out our college football odds series for our UL Monroe Alabama prediction and pick.
The Alabama Crimson Tide were very fortunate to get out of Austin, Texas, with a win in Week 2. The Crimson Tide were outplayed for most of the day by the Texas Longhorns but squeaked out a victory to move to 2-0 this season. The game felt a lot like the 2021 Iron Bowl game against Auburn. Alabama's offensive line was dominated through 58 minutes of play. The Crimson Tide's offense struggled to get going. The opponent was more physically imposing, and Alabama looked stuck. The Tide trailed late, and Bryce Young — after a largely uneven game — was able to rally his team and produce a clutch scoring drive. Young didn't have a great game, but he had a great endgame sequence, and that was enough to rescue Bama on a day when the Tide played far below their normal standards.
The huge concern for the Tide and Nick Saban coming out of the Texas game is that their 2022 offensive line did not look better than their 2021 unit, which did not play particularly well. Alabama had an elite offensive line in 2020, which is what enabled the Tide to average almost 50 points per game that year. Last season and now in 2022, the standard of performance along the Alabama offensive front has been very low. Saban and his staff need to find ways to get that level of play a lot higher — 50 notches higher, not five — and insist on accountability with that position group. Alabama's offensive line, after struggling in the 2021 regular season, played really well in the College Football Playoff semifinals against Cincinnati. Saban needs to get that level of improvement from his offensive line with the SEC schedule not too far away. Alabama knows that the way it played against Texas will not cut it. The Tide will lose two or three games this year if they continue to play that way. This game against Louisiana-Monroe is a time to straighten up and fly right. This had to have been a fun week of practice at Camp Saban in Tuscaloosa.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the UL Monroe-Alabama College Football odds.
College Football Odds: UL Monroe-Alabama Odds
UL Monroe Warhawks: +49.5 (-110)
Alabama Crimson Tide: -49.5 (-110)
Over: 61.5 (-105)
Under: 61.5 (-115)
Why UL Monroe Could Cover the Spread
Just look at the Alabama offense and how subpar it was against Texas. That's not a good offense. That is not a good offensive line. Maybe Alabama will completely change things around in one week, but would you really want to rely on that happening? If Alabama scores 49 points — not 50 or anything more — Monroe can cover the spread without scoring a point. If Alabama scores 56, Monroe needs just one touchdown to cover. Are we really going to trust that Bama can score in the 60s?
Why Alabama Could Cover the Spread
After the Texas game, you know this team will breathe fire and will be hell-bent on playing far better. This is not a game in which players are going to go through the motions and drift. Saban won't allow it to happen, and that will propel Bama to a 70-7 victory which covers the spread.
Final UL Monroe-Alabama Prediction & Pick
If Alabama had played well against Texas, this might be a time to take the underdog with a huge spread, but since the Tide were not very good against Texas, you know Saban will crack the whip and make sure his players start performing the way he expects. Alabama will win this game by 50 or more points.
Final UL Monroe-Alabama Prediction & Pick: Alabama -49.5
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