Alabama is a big favorite over Duke in the 2019 Chick-fil-A Kickoff game, but did Cerby the harbor seal pick against the odds?
Making picks in college football games can be quite the science, muddling a concoction of stats, history, probabilities, computer rankings, analytics, and gut feelings into a carefully molded decision on who will win or lose any given game.
Or, you can just do it the old-fashioned way like the adorable animals at the Georgia Aquarium prefer.
Cerby, a 10-year-old harbor seal who makes his home in Atlanta’s aquatic condominium, was recently challenged with making a pick in this year’s edition of the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game featuring the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Duke Blue Devils.
Here’s the video of Cerby making his pick, as well as other inhabitants of the aquarium showing their excitement for the college football season.
https://twitter.com/CFAPeachBowl/status/1166369313676242947
So it would seem Cerby is in agreement with the oddsmakers in Vegas, who currently have Alabama listed as a huge 34-point favorite over Duke. Makes you wonder if some of Cerby’s relatives weren’t elephant seals.
This will be Duke’s first-ever appearance in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, while Alabama is making their sixth trip, going undefeated in their previous five.
Not your typical early-season game, the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game has proven to be a testing ground for some of the best players and coaches in the game, featuring nine national coaches of the year, 25 players who received national awards, a total of 64 first-round NFL Draft picks and two teams that have gone on to win a national championship during that same season.
The game has had an average attendance of 68,973 and has been watched on television by more than 73.1 million viewers, distributing $75.8 million in total team payouts, per ChickFilAKickoffGame.com.
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The Crimson Tide and Blue Devils will square off on August 31 inside Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium, a city and venue where Alabama has made themselves quite a home away from home. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 PM.