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The annual LSU-Alabama installment, sometimes nicknamed the “Game of the Century,” finally is here. Well, sort of.
On Saturday night in Tuscaloosa, coach Nick Saban and coach Les Miles will square off with arguably the two best football teams in the Southeastern Conference. According to Las Vegas, the Tide opens as a 6.5-point favorite.
That’s interesting on a number of levels, as LSU is unbeaten, ranked higher in the polls and Alabama already has lost at home this season. It also means, more or less, that at least one Vegas sports book views Bama as the stronger team — by more than a field goal — on a neutral site. (Books typically award about three points to the home team when constructing gambling lines.)
That showdown will be the headliner, but it also may be the most competitive game. There are seven SEC vs. SEC games this week, the polar opposite of Week 1 of the season. And just one features an opening line of a touchdown or less.
In fact, Florida (vs. Vanderbilt), Georgia (at Kentucky) and Tennessee (vs. South Carolina) all are better than two-touchdown favorites. But if Week 9 did anything for us, it was to serve as a reminder that sports are unpredictable to a large extent.
Here are the rest of the Week 10 lines. Every SEC team plays this week.
| Matchup | Kickoff Time* | Line# |
|---|---|---|
| Mississippi State at Missouri | 9 p.m. (Thur.) | Bulldogs -7.5 |
| Vanderbilt at Florida | noon ET | Gators -20 |
| Georgia at Kentucky | noon ET | Bulldogs -16 |
| Arkansas at Ole Miss | 3:30 p.m. | Rebels -10 |
| South Carolina at Tennessee | 4 p.m. | Vols -16 |
| Auburn at Texas A&M | 7:30 p.m. | Aggies -7.5 |
| LSU at Alabama | 8 p.m. | Tide -6.5 |
*Based on Eastern Time Zone
#Based on Wynn LV lines as of 6 p.m. ET Sunday
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
