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South Florida will get their season's most difficult test when they visit Bryant-Denny Stadium to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide. The Crimson Tide didn't dominate the Bulls last season, winning just 17-3 in their visit to South Florida. It is time to continue our college football odds series with a South Florida-Alabama prediction and pick.
South Florida looked good in their season opener, defeating Bethune-Cookman. Their rushing attack was able to run all over in Week 1, tallying 231 yards. They stayed away from the air, with Byrum Brown throwing for just 152 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. Kelly Joiner led the way in rushing, tallying 78 yards and two touchdowns. South Florida's defense showed up, allowing just three points and 170 yards. It was an intriguing effort, but they'll be in for a much tougher test in this game.
Alabama has one more easily winnable game before facing Wisconsin, Georgia, and Vanderbilt over their next three. It'll be one final tune-up before facing Power Four conferences for seven straight games, which includes four ranked opponents at the time of this writing. Alabama has gone 2-0 in 19 of the past 20 seasons, and the only question here will likely be the spread, as the Crimson Tide are 30.5-point favorites. Jalen Milroe dominated the season opener against Western Kentucky, tallying 200 yards with three touchdowns. The Alabama rushing attack looks like it'll be a force this season, recording 334 yards against Western Kentucky.
Here are the College Football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: South Florida-Alabama Odds
South Florida: +30.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +2400
Alabama: -30.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -10000
Over: 63.5 (-110)
Under: 63.5 (-110)
How to Watch South Florida vs. Alabama
Time: 7 PM ET/4 PM PT
TV: ESPN
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why South Florida Could Cover The Spread/Win
Many people wondered last season why Alabama would accept a matchup on the road against South Florida. It felt like a spot where they could struggle and the concerns were true when they won just 17-3. The oddsmakers now have Alabama winning this game by 17 more points. Alabama will get home-field advantage in this matchup, but they'll also lose the edge of having Nick Saban. South Florida could prove that last year's result wasn't a fluke if they can keep this game close at Bryant-Denny.
Why Alabama Could Cover The Spread/Win
Alabama had a lot of changes to its system after the departure of Nick Saban. Most expected the Crimson Tide to take a few games against these lowly opponents to get comfortable but their offense was clicking in Week 1. The Crimson Tide struggled against South Florida last season, but they could use that game as fuel to dominate this matchup. It'll also give South Florida a different look and Jalen Milroe was not on the field for last season's loss. It's a strange thing to say, but South Florida could be surprised by Alabama this year.
Final South Florida-Alabama Prediction & Pick
Alabama would look better than South Florida on paper any year they play. It's easy to see why Alabama are 30-point favorites in this game, but South Florida held them to a 14-point deficit in last season's matchup. Many people will think South Florida can do the same this year, but their covering last season is why Alabama is the right choice here. Alabama could sleepwalk through this game in past years as they look ahead to all the upcoming ranked matchups. However, the returning players on the Crimson Tide likely had to listen for a full week last season about only beating them 17-3. The Crimson Tide could take the matchup personally this season and get revenge on South Florida at home.
Final South Florida-Alabama Prediction & Pick: Alabama -30.5 (-110)
