Alabama vs. Middle Tennessee odds, spread, time: 2023 college football picks, Week 1 predictions from model
The No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide will hope to begin another run to the College Football Playoff when they host the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders on Saturday night. Alabama lost stars on both sides of the ball, and head coach Nick Saban has not announced a starting quarterback for this game. MTSU is hoping to spring a huge upset for the second year in a row, as the Blue Raiders took down No. 25 Miami last season. The Blue Raiders have not faced Alabama since 2015, when the Crimson Tide rolled to a 37-10 victory.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Crimson Tide are favored by 39 points in the latest Alabama vs. Middle Tennessee odds, while the over/under is 51.5 points, per SportsLine consensus. Before entering any Alabama vs. Middle Tennessee picks, you'll want to see the college football predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Since its inception, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of almost $2,500 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Middle Tennessee-Alabama. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college football betting lines for the game:
- Alabama vs. Middle Tennessee spread: Alabama -39
- Alabama vs. Middle Tennessee over/under: 51.5 points
- Alabama vs. Middle Tennessee money line: Alabama: -10000, Middle Tennessee: +2000
- Alabama vs. Middle Tennessee picks: See picks here
Why Alabama can cover
Alabama lost Bryce Young to the NFL, but it has several quality options at quarterback heading into the season. Jalen Milroe threw five touchdown passes in 53 attempts last year, while Ty Simpson and Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner have both been competing for the starting job as well. Milroe is expected to start on Saturday, but both backups will be motivated to lead scoring drives as well.
Milroe got starting experience against Texas A&M last year, throwing three touchdowns in a 24-20 win. The Crimson Tide also have a defensive star in Dallas Turner, who has 12.5 sacks in two seasons. Alabama has covered the spread in seven consecutive season openers, while Middle Tennessee is 4-8 against the spread in its last 12 Saturday road games.
Why Middle Tennessee can cover
Middle Tennessee closed the 2022 campaign with momentum, winning five of its final six games. The Blue Raiders also sprung a big upset against the Hurricanes as 25.5-point underdogs last September before adding three more outright upsets later in the season. They closed their campaign with a bowl win over San Diego State as 7-point underdogs.
Alabama has several moving pieces heading into the season, which will make it difficult to cover this large of a spread. The Crimson Tide lost Young, running back Jahmyr Gibbs and star linebacker Will Anderson, among others. Middle Tennessee has covered the spread in all three previous meetings between these teams. See which team to pick here.
How to make Alabama vs. Middle Tennessee picks
The model has simulated Middle Tennessee vs. Alabama 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Over, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in almost 60% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
