Alabama Crimson Tide vs Duke Blue Devils Point Spread Picks

Once again the college football landscape at the top appears to be owned by Alabama and Clemson. The loss to Clemson in the Championship game, 44-16, was monumental as no Nick Saban team at Alabama ever lost by more than 14 points. Tua Tagovailoa is back, and he led an offense that dominated, scoring 49 points per game, and that number could grow as most of the key pieces return. Duke loses QB Daniel Jones to the NFL, but they have redshirt senior Quentin Harris to step in. Harris is more than capable and went 2-0 in Jones' absence last year due to injuries. Duke was average defensively and lost three of their top four tacklers, so this game will be very challenging, and the Tide may reach this total themselves. Play on the OVER.

This should be easy for Bama, right? The Tide rolled to a 21-point win over a Big-10 powerhouse last week in Penn State. It sure looks that way, but if this were that easy, we'd all be millionaires. This is the perfect sandwich game as the Tide rolls in off a huge statement win, and takes a conference breather before steeping onto the field vs. Arkansas. The Blue Devils, long the doormat of the ACC, came within one game of Bowl eligibility a year ago. They have an offense capable of scoring enough here to stay close enough to steal the cash here. I expect the Tide to be lacking the fire they took the field with vs. Penn State last week, as this is in their minds as an automatic win. Duke won three straight ACC games a year ago, nearly shocked Virginia Tech at home before losing by 8, and opened giving Wake fits on the road before bowing by 6. This one is home vs. a disinterested guest, and that spells a cover for the Dukies.