If the Alabama Crimson Tide are to clinch a College Football Playoff spot, they are going to need to defeat the Auburn Tigers in the Iron Bowl and win the SEC title, though, they will also need other schools to lose. The Crimson Tide will also have to deal with the Western Carolina Catamounts in what should serve as a mere glorified practice session for Alabama before taking on the Tigers.
Betting on the Western Carolina Catamounts (3-8 Overall / 2-6 Conference)
After scoring back-to-back wins against the VMI Keydets and the East Tennessee Buccaneers, the good times came to a screeching halt for the Catamounts, who lost to the Samford Bulldogs over the weekend, 31-13, at home. Tryie Adams passed for 181 yards and a touchdown on 13-of-29 completions. Western Carolina had two turnovers, and could have had more if the Catamounts had not recovered two fumbles. Alabama’s defense is going to come down hard on a team like Western Carolina, so at the very least, the Catamounts will have to do everything not to shoot their own foot by being careless with the ball. The Catamounts are also catching a break of sorts, as Alabama will not have Tua Tagovailoa for the rest of the season, including in the matchup against Western Carolina.
The Catamounts, who are averaging 20.1 points, have won their last game on the road.
Betting on the Alabama Crimson Tide (9-1 Overall / 6-1 Conference)
The Crimson Tide took care of business on the road last Saturday, beating the Mississippi State Bulldogs, 38-7. The win, however, came with a big price, as prized quarterback Tua Tagovailoa went down with a hip injury that will cost him the remainder of the season. Having said that, Tagovailoa’s absence shouldn’t be felt that much by Alabama in its meeting with a lowly visitor in the form of the Catamounts. With Tagovailoa out, the Crimson Tide will likely turn to Mac Jones for the starting job under center. Jones stepped in for Tagovailoa in the Mississippi State game and passed for 94 yards on 7-of-11 completions. Jones has plenty of elite weapons to help him devour Western Carolina’s defense. Running back Najee Harris had 88 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries against the Bulldogs, while wide receivers Jerry Jeudy and DeVonta Harris combined for 206 receiving yards. Harris also caught a touchdown. Alabama’s defense is also well-equipped to suffocate Western Carolina’s attack. The Crimson Tide entered Week 13 allowing just 17.5 points per game –mostly against FBS teams.
The under is 3-1 in Alabama’s last four home games.
