Top-ranked Alabama is headed home for the first time this season. Here is how you can watch the showdown against visiting Arkansas State on Saturday.
The defending College Football Playoff national champions took care of business in their season opener against Louisville, downing the Cardinals 51-14 in Orlando. Alabama allowed just 16 rushing yards total against Louisville, displaying a defensive prowess that will keep them the front-runner for the national title for a second straight year.
They also have one of the most dangerous offenses in the country thanks to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Against Louisville, Tagovailoa went 12-of-16 passing for 227 yards and two touchdowns and added 26 rushing yards and a score on the ground for good measure. And if he goes down, Jalen Hurts is still right there (for now) to pick up the slack. Coupled with a multifaceted rushing attack, Nick Saban has perhaps the most dynamic offense of his career.
This week the Crimson Tide will be tested by Arkansas State, a Sun Belt contender that took down a far weaker foe in FCS Southeast Missouri in Week 1. The Red Wolves have most of their offense back, but heavy losses on defense will prove costly against Alabama on Saturday. Arkansas State allowed the Redhawks to level the game twice in the first half before scoring two minutes before the intermission to take a lead that would remain for good after the break.
Justice Hansen had a huge game against Southeast Missouri, throwing for 423 yards and six touchdowns on 26-of-36 passing. Hansen added 31 rushing yards on five carries, dominating his FCS opponent with ease. He will find that sort of production much harder to come by on the road trip to Tuscaloosa.
Given the juggernaut Saban and his staff have constructed at Alabama, it will be interesting to see what they do against a seemingly overmatched opponent. Here’s how you can watch the Saturday game between the Crimson Tide and Arkansas State.
Date: Saturday, Sept. 8
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Venue: Bryant-Denny Stadium
TV: ESPN2
Live Stream: WatchESPN | FuboTV
Keys to Victory
Really, the key to victory for Alabama is merely showing up to Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday. As long as the players show up healthy and ready to play, there is such a disparity in terms of talent level, skill sets, size, and any other metric one might conjure up to compare the two teams that it really isn’t a fair fight. The Crimson Tide need to play their usual technically proficient game to not only beat Arkansas State but cover the point spread without much trouble.
For the Red Wolves, even beating the point spread would be a huge victory. They will need Justice Hansen to be at his gunslinging best for the offense to keep pace with Alabama’s rapid-fire attack. And they need the defensive line to step up big despite the loss of players like end Ja’Von Rolland-Jones and tackle Dee Liner. Even then, Arkansas State probably needs at least half of the Bama roster to come down with the flu or something to have a legitimate shot at pulling off an upset.
Betting Odds
Odds courtesy of oddsshark.com
Point Spread: Alabama -36
Over/Under: 66.5
Prediction
The oddsmakers are honestly being very generous in terms of the point spread. Alabama should eclipse that benchmark by a full 10 points, taking down their visitors in blowout fashion. Once again, Tagovailoa will put up a big game, Hurts will come in to relieve him and put up more big numbers, and the defending champions will keep on a march toward remaining ranked No. 1 in the country. (Take the under, though, because the Alabama defense will offer little to the Red Wolves.)
Final Score: Alabama 56, Arkansas State 10