College Football Predictions: Alabama vs. Florida Preview

Written by Jake Thompson
Friday, 30 September 2011 15:54

It’s time for predictions as we preview the college football game between Alabama and Florida.

The #2 Alabama Crimson Tide (4-0) head into “The Swamp” to take on the #12 Florida Gators (4-0), and we hope that our preview and predictions on the final score will help everyone figure out how this SEC showdown will play out.  The Alabama vs. Florida game has a start time of 8:00 PM ET and will be shown live on the CBS channel.

Florida most recently lost 31-6 to Alabama last season as 7.5-point favorites, but the final score was a bit misleading with the total yardage being almost equal.  The Crimson Tide took home a 32-13 win in 2009 as 4.5-point underdogs, while the Gators were 31-20 winners in 2008 as 10-point favorites.  5Dimes Sportsbook has the odds favoring Alabama by 4 this time around, and college football bettors will receive a 50% cash bonus for signing up this weekend.

Alabama opened their season with a 48-7 win over Kent State before besting Penn State 27-11, North Texas 41-0, and Arkansas 38-14 most recently.  Florida began their undefeated season with a 41-3 victory over Florida Atlantic before taking out UAB 39-0, Tennessee 33-23, and Kentucky 48-10.  Alabama has covered the point spread in 3 of 4 games, while Florida has won money for backers in all 4 of their clashes.

Florida’s offense is averaging 40.2 points per game on 202.8 passing and 258.5 rushing yards.  Quarterback John Brantley (752 yards, 64.0%, 4 TD, 2 INT) will suit up despite an injury to his ribs, and he’ll have to throw the ball quite a bit more than he is used too.  The Crimson Tide defense allows just 1.8 yards per carry but I don’t believe they are as dominant as that statistic indicates.  Penn State ran the ball successfully on them and that is the only minor challenge that the Alabama defense has had to deal with all year.

Alabama has a fairly similar offense, scoring 38.5 points per game on 225.2 passing and 230.8 rushing yards each time out.  Quarterback A.J. McCarron (779 yards, 66.3%, 4 TD, 2 INT) has been solid, but I still question whether the fairly inexperienced starter is ready for a game of this magnitude.  Florida’s defense is equally capable of taking away the run (allowing 56.5 rushing yards on 2.1 per carry), and it seems likely that the Gators will make McCarron beat them rather than give up easy yards between the tackles.

Our predictions for the Alabama vs. Florida preview call for both teams to throw the ball more than they are generally accustomed to.  The running attack of both teams will be held in check for the most part, and I think both teams come out a bit tentative in a defensive battle.  Things should open up in the second half, and I have much more faith in Brantley than I do in McCarron.  Experience will play a part here and Florida is never easy to beat in their home stadium.  My Alabama vs. Florida score predictions will call for an outright upset in a weekend full of them.

Alabama vs. Florida Score Predictions:

Alabama 23

Florida 24