Alabama vs Florida Picks and Predictions: Getting the Right Bryce

The Tide are rolling yet again to start 2021, so it shouldn't be a huge surprise that they're laying two touchdowns against the Gators. See if they can live up to the hype as we preview this matchup with our Alabama vs Florida picks.

Andrew Caley - Senior Betting Analyst at Covers.com
Andrew Caley • Senior Betting Analyst
Sep 17, 2021 • 11:33 ET • 4 min read
Bryce Young Alabama Crimson Tide college football
Photo By - USA TODAY Sports

It’s a rematch of last season’s SEC championship as the Alabama Crimson Tide heads to The Swamp to take on the Florida Gators.

While the names are the same, there are plenty of changes for both teams, including the starting quarterbacks. But one thing that remains the same is the fact that Bama is a two-touchdown favorite. Can the Tide keep rolling or will the Gators chomp their way to a cover as home underdogs?

Find out with our free college football betting picks and predictions for Alabama vs. Florida on Saturday, September 18.

Alabama vs Florida odds

Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.

Florida opened this matchup as 15-point home pups and have been as low as +14 but sit at +14.5 as of Friday morning. The total on the other hand hit the board at 57.5 and has been bet up two points to 59.5.

Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until kickoff and be sure to check out the full college football odds before placing your bets.

Alabama vs Florida picks

Picks made on 9/17/2021 at 11:00 a.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.

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Alabama vs Florida game info

Location: Ben Hill Griffen Stadium, Gainesville, FL
Date: Saturday, September 18, 2021
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
TV: CBS

Alabama vs Florida betting preview

Weather

Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our NCAA football weather info.

Key injuries

Alabama: Jayln Armour-Davis DB (Probable), Josh Jobe DB (Probable), Will Anderson LB (Questionable).
Florida: Anthony Richardson QB (Probable), Ventrell Miller LB (Out).
Find our latest NCAA football injury reports.

Betting trend to know

Alabama is 7-0 ATS in its last seven regular-season conference games. Find more NCAA betting trends for Alabama vs. Florida.

Alabama vs Florida predictions

Two touchdowns may seem like a lot of points to cover on the road, particularly in the Swamp, but Florida has some issues which make me believe they will have a problem keeping up with Alabama in this one.

For starters, yes, the Gators are 2-0 for the season. But those wins came against Florida Atlantic and South Florida, and Florida failed to cover the spread in both of those matchups, giving up 34 total points. That may not sound like a lot, but it is FAU and USF.

Florida also employs a two-quarterback system at the moment, as neither Emory Jones nor Anthony Richardson has locked down the starting job yet. 

Jones is technically the starter, but he has thrown two picks in each of the first two games. Richardson, on the other hand, is the Gators’ leading rusher with 275 yards, but he completes 54.5 percent of his passes and is now dealing with a hamstring injury.

On top of that, Florida has a defense that is green and ranks 81st in passing yards per game against lesser competition. That’s not a great sign for a unit that allowed 30.8 points and 428 yards per game in SEC play last season and now has to go up against betting favorite to win the Heisman – Bryce Young.

Young has been fantastic in his first two starts, completing 70.8 percent of his passes for 571 yards, with seven touchdowns and no interceptions. Now, the Swamp is a tough place to make your first road start in the SEC, but once Young and Bama settle down after a few drives, watch out. The Tide should roll.

When it comes to the total, the early money has hammered the Over, and I’m here to say jump on that train before the number gets much higher.

We’ve already talked about how good Young has been early on this season, but running back Brian Robinson has also been effective and provided the Tide some balance, rushing for 5.9 yards per carry. This balance allowed Bama to put up 44 points against what is expected to be a solid Miami defense when all is said and done this year.

On the other side, while Florida has some issues on offense, there is no denying the talent for both of the quarterbacks. Both are true dual threats as they are the top two leading rushers for the Gators. While I expect the Tide to do a good job to contain them, they are likely to break a big run or two in this one and that should be enough to send this Over the total.

NCAA parlays

Did you know that if you parlayed our Alabama vs. Florida picks, you could win $26.45 on a $10 bet?

Use our college football parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.

Where can I bet on college football odds?

You can bet on college football odds at every online and casino sportsbook, including NCAA moneylines, spreads, Over/Under totals, and a ton of college football prop odds. Head over to our best football betting sites for the top spots to bet on college football odds in your area.

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Senior Betting Analyst

When his dreams of becoming the next Steve Nash died, all Andrew “Taco” Caley wanted to do was write about sports, something he’s been doing at Covers for more than a decade. A Journalism School grad from Holland College in Charlottetown, PEI, Andrew previously worked at The Chronicle Herald and Star Metro, but knew in his heart that his future lay in sports. He began at Covers as a news editor and has now done everything under the sun when it comes to content. His work has been seen on TSN, Sportsnet, VSiN, and CBS.

These days Andrew’s betting expertise is focused on his favorite teams – the Toronto Blue Jays and Toronto Raptors. He’s also an avid college football fan and bettor. He can’t be friends with you if you don’t appreciate a Service Academy Under. You can also call him Covers’ Sixth Man, as he regularly steps up to guest host Before You Bet and our MLB and NCAAF release shows.

The sportsbook where he does the bulk of his betting is bet365 thanks to its numerous prop betting options and competitive odds. His best advice? Find the balance between the numbers and what you see on the playing field. Then find the best price using multiple books. And don’t ask him where the nickname Taco comes from. It’s not an interesting story. Seriously.

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