Texas A&M vs. Alabama Odds
| Texas A&M Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+24 -110 | 51.5 -110o / -110u | +1350 |
| Alabama Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-24 -110 | 51.5 -110o / -110u | -3500 |
After all of the back-and-forth chirping between Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher in the offseason, many can't wait for this Saturday's matchup between Texas A&M and Alabama.
One of the main storylines from a betting perspective will be Saban with revenge, which I even talked about in our preseason podcast episodes. I called this a vintage Saban revenge season.
However, those are all just cute narratives. What do the actual historical against-the-spread splits look like in these spots? Let's take a closer look.
Since arriving in Tuscaloosa, Saban has faced 15 opponents that Alabama lost to in the previous season. The Tide have gone 14-1 straight up in those games with an impressive 11-4 ATS (73.3%) mark, covering by an average of just under six points per game. Rock solid.
For reference, Saban has gone 104-89 (53.9%) ATS in all other games over that stretch.
Former Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly remains the only signal-caller to prevent Saban from exacting his revenge. However, that result wasn't that shocking for the No. 15 Rebels, who closed only as 7.5-point underdogs.
Texas A&M will be a significantly larger underdog. Of the 15 games listed above, Alabama was a favorite of more than 10 points six times. The Tide easily won all six with a perfect 6-0 ATS record, covering by 8.5 points per game.
In each of those games, Saban seemingly kept his foot on the pedal until the very end with revenge potentially top of mind.
Alabama outscored those six SEC opponents by an astounding margin of 130-27 in the second half, with seven of the opponent points allowed coming on a kick return touchdown. And even in all of these blowouts, the Tide allowed only seven total points in the fourth quarter in those six contests.
The verdict is in. Saban is guilty of seeking maximum revenge when facing an opponent he lost to in the previous season. That really shouldn't surprise anybody. Good luck to Texas A&M on Saturday; it's going to need it.
