Betting trends to watch for in Alabama-Florida game Saturday

With Alabama and Florida set to square off in a top-15 matchup Saturday, ESPN has released a list of betting trends to watch. The game is set to kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET in Gainesville.

It is the first SEC matchup for either team.

No. 1 Alabama has looked dominant as usual this season. Bryce Young and the Crimson Tide took out Miami (Florida) easily in Week 1, then handled Mercer the following week.

Florida also won both its games employing a two-quarterback system. The Gators start Emory Jones, but also make use of dual-threat player Anthony Richardson. He already has an 80-yard touchdown run and a 73-yard touchdown run this season.

At least one SEC talking head, Paul Finebaum, thinks this game could end up a blowout.

“I really don’t think this will be a fourth quarter game,” Finebaum said via Al.com’s Mark Heim. “I don’t think Florida is in the same category as Alabama… Alabama’s gonna go down there and blow the opposition out.”

Below are some things to keep in mind if you plan to place a wager on the game.

Florida/Alabama history and trends

As of Friday evening, the Crimson Tide are 15-point favorites despite playing on the road. It is only the fourth time since 2000 that an AP top-15 team has been a two-touchdown underdog at home. It is just the second time since 1978 that Florida has been a home underdog while ranked.

Although Gators coach Dan Mullen has never beaten Nick Saban, he has covered in four of the past six meetings. That includes last year’s 52-46 loss in the SEC Championship Game in which Alabama was favored by 16.5 points.

The over is set at 60, which is going to take a lot of offense to reach. However, it is important to note that the over has hit on five consecutive matchups between Florida and Alabama.

The Gators are 31-14-4 against the spread when playing top-10 opponents. Only Clemson has a better winning percentage among teams that have played at least 10 such games.

Alabama has now been the favorite in 83-straight games. The Crimson Tide are 11-4 against the spread in their past 15 games as a double-digit favorite.

As helpful as these betting trends are, it’s going to take a lot for Florida to overcome Alabama, even at home.