MTSU Blue Raiders vs Alabama Crimson Tide Prediction, 9/2/2023 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: MTSU Blue Raiders vs Alabama Crimson Tide

Date: Saturday, September 2, 2023

Location: Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, AL

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Crimson Tide (-36)

Total/Over-Under: 51.5

Bryant-Denny Stadium is where the Alabama Crimson Tide (11-2 last year) will try to defeat the MTSU Blue Raiders (8-5 last season) on Saturday, September 2, 2023. Alabama opens this matchup as 36-point favorites from Vegas oddsmakers. The betting total is set at 51.5.

The MTSU Blue Raiders finished the season with a 8-5 mark. The last time they took the field, the Blue Raiders took on the San Diego State Aztecs and walked away with a win by a score of 25-23. Frank Peasant was the rushing leader for the Blue Raiders with 17 totes for 27 yards (1.6 yards per carry). Chase Cunningham went 26/43 with 236 yards through the air and 2 TDs. He had a QB rate of 117.3 and ended the contest with 1 pick. When it came to stopping the run, the Blue Raiders conceded 55 yds on 32 tries, which calculates to 1.7 yds per run allowed. MTSU gave up 19 pass completions on 43 tries for a total of 309 yards, and a completion rate of 44.2%. When the final whistle blew, they ran 73 plays for 170 yds. The MTSU Blue Raiders ended up rushing 30 times and accounted for -66 yds, earning them an average of -2.2 yards per tote.

In terms of putting the ball in the endzone, the MTSU Blue Raiders had an average of 28.8 points per game. As a team they averaged 108.5 yards in the run game, which had them sitting 114th in the nation. The Blue Raiders attained 4,853 total yards for the prior year. MTSU earned 21 touchdowns via the pass and 20 touchdowns on the ground. MTSU accounted for 263 1st downs, and they were hurt by 85 infractions for 758 yards. They turned the ball over 18 different times.

Regarding passing yardage, the Blue Raiders gave up 3,805 yards which had them sitting in 129th in the nation. Over the course of their 13 games, they conceded 292.7 yards per game via the pass and allowed a completion percentage of 57.7%. They surrendered 409.5 yards/game which put them 96th in college football. They surrendered 29 touchdowns via the pass in addition to 14 running touchdowns. Opposing teams ran for an average of 3.4 yards per rush on the ground and 116.8 rushing yards per game last season. For the year, they allowed 1,518 rushing yards through 13 games. The Blue Raiders sat in 78th in D-1 regarding their opponents scoring, conceding 27.7 points per game.

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The Crimson Tide ended the year holding a 11-2 mark. When they last stepped on the field, the Crimson Tide walked away with a victory by a final of 45-20 against the Kansas State Wildcats. Bryce Young (5 touchdowns) finished the game with 321 yds on 15/21 passing while his QB rating was 278.4. He didn't throw any picks and his average yards per pass attempt was 15.3. Jahmyr Gibbs ran the football 15 times for 76 yds, ending the game with 5.1 yards per carry for Alabama. Alabama ran the ball for 5.3 yards per carry, finishing with 175 yards on 33 carries. The Crimson Tide ended up finishing with 496 yds on 55 plays (9.0 yards per play). The Crimson Tide secondary allowed a completion rate of 51.4%, surrendering 210 yds on 18 out of 35 through the air. Alabama allowed 39 attempts on the ground for 191 yds (4.9 yards per carry).

When discussing their scoring prowess, the Crimson Tide ranked 5th in Division 1 averaging 41.1 points per outing. Last year, the Crimson Tide compiled 3,660 yards via the pass along with an average of 281.5 passing yards per game, ranking them 19th in the country. The Alabama Crimson Tide held an average of 477.1 yards/game, which had them ranked 11th in the country. The Alabama offense totaled 893 penalty yards on 103 infractions, which was good for 4th in Division 1 in terms of making mistakes.

The Crimson Tide surrendered 18.2 PPG, which had them sitting 9th in the country. Alabama gave up a total of 1,695 yards rushing (130.4 yards per game) as well as 16 touchdowns by way of the ground game over the course of last season. Last year, they relinquished 237 points in total. They surrendered 12 touchdowns through the air and 187.8 yards per outing, which had them ranked 17th in the nation. The Crimson Tide defense took the field for 901 plays, ranking them 88th in the country.

Who will win tonight's Blue Raiders/Crimson Tide college football game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Blue Raiders +36

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