Texas vs. Alabama odds, expert picks: Tuscaloosa hosts the biggest matchup of the week

The Athletic has live updates of Alabama vs. Texas in college football Week 2 action

The college game of the week is in Tuscaloosa where the Alabama Crimson Tide host the Texas Longhorns in a rematch of last year’s thriller in Austin (which Alabama won 20-19). This year, Alabama is a touchdown favorite.

Both teams are coming off one-sided tune-up wins in Week 1. Texas cruised by Rice 37-10 and Alabama trounced Middle Tennessee 56-7. The Crimson Tide’s win, however, was a little more costly as it is dealing with a couple of potentially significant injuries.

Defensive backs Malachi Moore and Jaylen Key both left the Week 1 win with undisclosed injuries in the win. Nick Saban did not seem overly concerned about their injuries being long-term issues, but they are still listed as day-to-day going into the week, which could potentially limit their availability for Saturday.

Any injuries on defense could be a cause for at least some concern as Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers entered the season as a potential Heisman contender. He completed 9-of-12 passes for 134 yards in last year’s meeting before leaving early in the game with a sprained AC joint that ultimately kept him out of the lineup for a month. Texas’ offense had trouble generating much offense against Alabama without him.

Along with Ewers, the Longhorns are bringing in an experienced lineup that is returning 10 starters on offense from a year ago. Conversely, Alabama has a new quarterback in Jalen Milroe, who passed for three scores and ran for two more last week.

What is the spread for Texas vs. Alabama?

Expert picks against the spread

How to watch and stream Texas vs. Alabama

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET on Saturday night and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. It can be streamed on the ESPN app with authentication.