Alabama Football: Tide with good injury news as betting spread tightens

All week optimism from Texas A&M beat reporters and fans of the Aggies has been bubbling. Alabama Football gives Jimbo Fisher and the Aggies an opportunity for a win that would thrust A&M into serious Playoff contention. For Fisher, it could be the program-defining win he thought he had two seasons ago, but which he dramatically failed to capitalize on.

The game could be a make-or-break situation for Fisher in College Station. After last year’s, 5-7 record, Aggies insiders stated that despite the $70M-plus buyout, Fisher would need at least nine wins to keep his job. After Saturday, the Aggies have later SEC road games against Tennessee, Ole Miss and LSU. All the enthusiasm in College Station could fade into a 7-5 regular season.

It is a big game for the Crimson Tide as well. Alabama would have almost no chance of becoming a Playoff contender if it drops a second game.

Game predictions are all over the place, including double-digit wins by each team. I’ll add my game prediction in a later post, but a teaser offered is I don’t think anyone knows for sure how the game will play out. No measurement of the teams from their five 2023 games indicates the game will be anything but close.

Good News for Alabama Football

Based on a report from Austin Hannon of Bama Central, Deontae Lawson and Terrence Ferguson were full participants in Wednesday’s practice. Also, nothing from the Thursday practice indicated the two key players will not be available on Saturday.

A bit of caution for Crimson Tide fans is that a player being dressed for the game does not mean the player will start. It does not even mean the player will participate. It means the player is available to play.

In other Crimson Tide injury news, it is believed Jaheim Oatis is close to 100% and that Jah-Marien Latham will be 100%. Earlier this week it was learned Jermaine Burton’s limited snaps against Mississippi State were because he was somewhat banged up. As Bama Hammer’s Zach Breathwaite discussed, possibly not having a fully healthy Burton against the Aggies might require Malik Benson and Jalen Hale to have their most productive games of the season.

More good news for the Crimson Tide, based on Thursday’s practice, the rumor Jalen Milroe was injured on Wednesday proved to be incorrect.

Texas A&M does not have the market cornered on optimism. There is a growing sense coming from Tuscaloosa that the Alabama football staff and the Crimson Tide players are confidently optimistic as well.