Kentucky opens as a two-score underdog vs. Alabama

NCAA Football: Louisiana State at Alabama — Nov 4, 2023; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban reacts after a call during the first half against the LSU Tigers at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Butch Dill-USA TODAY Sports

Kentucky will host Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide as two-score underdogs next Saturday at Kroger Field.

With both programs coming off statement wins, the Wildcats defeating Mississippi State in Starkville for the first time since 2008 and the Tide rolling to a 42-28 victory over No. 13 LSU, oddsmakers expect a battle in Lexington. Alabama has opened as a 10-point favorite over Kentucky in the Nov. 11 matchup, according to FanDuel, with the over-under set at 47.5.

Betting on the Cats to win outright? The moneyline is there for the taking at +320.

Alabama sits at 8-1 on the year following the late win in the top-15 matchup this weekend in Tuscaloosa. The Tide and Tigers entered halftime tied 21-21 before the road foe took a 28-21 lead on its first drive after intermission. From there, though, Bama would score 21 straight points to win by two scores and move to 6-0 in conference play with seven consecutive wins.

What to know about Alabama

On the year, Alabama is averaging 31.8 points and 382.2 total yards per contest while allowing 16.5 points and 306.4 yards per game — both top-20 nationally. The Tide are led by quarterback Jalen Milroe, who has thrown for 1,836 yards, 13 touchdowns and five interceptions on 64.8% passing (114-176). Six players have eclipsed the century receiving mark, led by Jermaine Burton with 537 yards and five touchdowns, followed by Isaiah Bond with 420 yards and three scores and Amari Niblack with 218 yards and three scores

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The Crimson Tide have a three-headed monster in the backfield with Jase McClellan racking up 632 yards and five touchdowns, Roydell Williams with 395 yards and two scores and Milroe adding 297 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground.

361 combined rushing attempts vs. 206 passing attempts on the year.

The all-time series heavily favors Alabama, who leads 38-2-1 dating back to 1917. Kentucky’s lone victories? A 6-0 win in Lexington back in 1922 and a 40-34 home win in 1997. Mark Stoops is 0-3 in the matchup, suffering a 48-7 loss in 2013, a 34-6 loss in 2016 and a 63-3 loss in 2020. The winning streak sits at seven consecutive games for the Tide.

ESPN’s Matchup Predictor gives the Wildcats a 14.2% chance to pull off the upset victory on Nov. 11, with kickoff scheduled for noon ET. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN.

What do you think, Big Blue Nation? Does Kentucky have a shot?