The road to a National Championship is rarely ever smooth, as the team that ends up winning it all will likely have a few scares and near misses along the way. Very few teams know this better than the Alabama Crimson Tide, since they have been there more often than not since Nick Saban took the reins in Tuscaloosa. Alabama come into this weekend with a perfect 4-0 record, but they have already had one scare, having to come from behind in the second half in a 48-43 win over Ole Miss in Week 3. Other than that, Alabama has made things look pretty easy, and as a 35.5-point favorite this weekend against the Kentucky Wildcats, it looks as though this one is going to be pretty straightforward, too. Kentucky are coming in with a 2-2 record, but have a little bit of momentum on their side having won 2 in a row. They will be looking to keep things close, and hopefully spring the major online betting upset.
In Depth Analysis On The Kentucky Wildcats at Alabama Crimson Tide College Football Week 5 Free Picks
When: Saturday, October 1 at 7 PM EST
Where: Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: Watch ESPN
NCAAF Odds: TBA
Why bet on the Kentucky Wildcats
If Kentucky Wildcats are going to be competitive in this one, they are going to have to stick with the strategy that has brought them the most success so far this season. That strategy would be to go deep as often as possible. The Wildcats have had little success in the short passing game, but when they try to hit the long bombs, they have had some legitimate success. The passing game has eclipsed the 300-yard mark twice this season, and even if they can’t convert all those big plays into points on Saturday, they may still be able to win the field position game, making Alabama have to go the length of the field in order to put points on the board.
Why bet on the Alabama Crimson Tide
We spoke a little about the Kentucky offense, but it’s worth noting that their best efforts came against lesser opponents. The Alabama defense is going to be the best that they have faced so far, especially if they have the idea of trying to run the ball. The Crimson Tide D has been dominant in all 4 games so far, and have only given up a single 100-yard game on the ground so far this season. Ole Miss did have some success, but second half adjustments saw that game turn dramatically. The Wildcats will take some shots, but you can almost bet that this Crimson Tide crew will see them coming and snuff them out.
Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction
The Alabama Crimson Tide may not get through this season undefeated, but I certainly don’t believe that their loss is going to come this weekend. There is just too much of a talent gap between these two teams, and Kentucky are going to come up a good ways short in this one.
