An Alabama Crimson Tide Win
In week two, maybe the Crimson Tide does not have more unknowns than knowns. But Alabama has more than a few players in multiple position groups who are ‘big game’ unproven. The outcome is not as simple as which team has the most talent. That would be Alabama, but I suspect the Longhorns are not far behind.
The outcome of the game will come down to execution, coaching, and the Bryant-Denny crowd. I expect at least two of the three to be heavily in favor of the Crimson Tide.
In the offseason, Alabama football fans have speculated Texas will load the box to take away what could be a powerful rushing attack. My thoughts on that begin with the Texas interior defense can be stout without loading the box. If Texas tries to give Alabama too many men to block, I expect a fully prepared Tommy Rees will pick them apart on the edge and downfield. Forcing Jalen Milroe to throw might be the best Texas option, but there is no guarantee it would be effective.
I also do not expect the Horns to spy Milroe. He is too fast for such a simplistic approach. The Texas defense will try to confuse Milroe, as any team would an inexperienced QB. I think Rees will have Milroe well prepared.
If all of the five keys go the way of the Tide, I believe Alabama, with a strong second half will win by 10-17 points. Since week two games are rarely so perfect, my prediction is …
Alabama Crimson Tide 27 – Texas 21
Note: Player and game stats provided by rolltide.com and cfbstats.com