No. 4 Alabama is a 7.5-point favorite over No. 11 Texas

Even with next Saturday’s game in Tuscaloosa at Bryant-Denny Stadium, oddsmakers see less separation between the No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide and the No. 11 Texas Longhorns this season, with the Crimson Tide 7.5-point favorites on Sunday, according to DraftKings.*

In the equally-anticipated 2022 matchup in Austin, the Crimson Tide opened as 19.5-point favorites, a line in line with the college football world, which anticipated Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian suffering a blowout at the cold hands of his former mentor, Nick Saban.

Instead, No. 11 Texas took No. 4 Alabama down to the wire, opening a 16-10 lead early in the fourth quarter and regaining following a Crimson Tide touchdown when then-unproven kicker Bert Auburn hit a 49-yard field goal with 1:29 remaining. Unfortunately for the Horns, that was too much time for Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Bryce Young, who eluded a cornerback blitz by Ryan Watts to scramble for 20 yards into easy field-goal range with 27 second left to set up the game-winning kick.

It was only the second win for Alabama in 10 meetings in all-time series with Texas that dates back to 1902 and featured seven wins by the Longhorns and a tie before the Crimson Tide finally broke through by winning in the 2010 national championship game.

Texas is 1-0 after Saturday’s 37-10 home win over Rice. Alabama boasts the same record following a 56-7 demolition of Middle Tennessee State in Tuscaloosa. College GameDay announced on Saturday evening that it will be in attendance. Kickoff is at 6 p.m. Central on ESPN.

*Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.

Rep the Longhorns with the new Texas Nike Air Max SYSTM.