Alabama Football vs. Texas: How to watch, odds and injuries

The campus environment in Tuscaloosa has been buzzing since Thursday afternoon. Alabama football fans are going to need stamina for the marathon that began early and will not finish until Saturday night.

There are several reasons for the game to be special. There has not been such a respected non-conference football brand at Bryant-Denny since Penn State came to Tuscaloosa in September 2010. Though neither team will be out of the Playoff picture with a loss, the losing team will have lost almost all margin for error.

Going up against a former Alabama Football OC is another factor. Crimson Tide fans respect what Steve Sarkisian accomplished with the Alabama offense in the 2020 season. There is also what transpired in last season’s game in Austin. It took Bryce Young magic for the Tide to win and Texas fans are convinced had Quinn Ewers been healthy throughout the game, it would have ended in a Texas win.

Saturday night is not ‘Game of the Century’ big, but it will draw huge national attention.

How to watch for Alabama Football fans

Even nosebleed seats will be coveted. For the millions who can’t be there, there are good viewing options. ESPN has the game, available through cable or streaming. In addition, it can be seen on fuboTV. Also, in a free trial, the game will be available on YouTubeTV.

The ESPN announcing team will be Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Holly Rowe. On the Crimson Tide Sports Network, Eli Gold, Tyler Watts and Christian Miller will handle the radio broadcast.

At kickoff, a few minutes past 6:00 PM CST, the weather will be sunny and a warm 84. It will cool slowly and slightly during the game and light winds should have no impact.

Injury Report

Though he was injured last week against Rice, Texas freshman running back, Cedric ‘CJ’ Baxter is expected to play against Alabama. Baxter reportedly sustained a rib injury against Rice that possibly has not fully healed.

Alabama gets Jihaad Campbell back in a knee brace. It is not known if Campbell will be 100%. Wide receiver Emmanuel Henderson will not play due to a hip injury. The big questions for Alabama are Malachi Moore and Jalen Key. Both are stated to be game-time decisions. Alabama football insiders are expecting Moore to play and be near 100%. The prospect of Key playing is more doubtful.

Betting Odds

The line opened with Alabama favored by a 7.5-point spread according to the FanDuel Sportsbook. The spread had slipped to seven points on Friday night. According to BetMGM, the Moneyline is +240 for Texas and -300 for Alabama. The over/under is 53.5.

Check back with Bama Hammer for five keys to the game and a score prediction.