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Alabama's Record Against the Spread in the CFB Playoff Era May Surprise You

By Iain MacMillan

Nick Saban and Alabama are once again rank No. 1 in the AP Poll ahead of the 2021 College Football Season.
Nick Saban and Alabama are once again rank No. 1 in the AP Poll ahead of the 2021 College Football Season. / Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
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Alabama will head into the 2021 season as the kings of college football, and it is once again predicted to win the National Championship. WynnBET has the Crimson Tide set as the +200 favorites to win it all for the fourth time since the inception of the College Football Playoff in 2014.

We all know Alabama is going to be a powerhouse this year, but does that translate to betting success? Not many people are going to bet on Alabama’s moneyline, considering the Crimson Tide will be at least -300 (bet $300 to profit $100) moneyline favorites in most games, so how are they against the spread?

Good Teams Win, Great Teams Cover

They say good teams win, but great teams cover, so can we consider Alabama a great team in the playoff era?

Here is how Alabama has done against the spread each season dating back to 2014:

  • 2020: 9-4
  • 2019: 7-6
  • 2018: 8-6-1
  • 2017: 6-8
  • 2016: 10-5
  • 2015: 8-7
  • 2014: 5-9

Total: 53-45-1 (54.08%)

In total, they’ve covered the spread at a rate of 54.08% dating back to the start of the College Football Playoff. While that rate isn’t bad, and you’d be even slightly profitable if you bet on them to cover in every single game during that stretch, it may not be as good of a percentage that you’d expect from the team that’s dominated its competition almost every year.

Alabama has only had two seasons where they failed to cover the spread more often than they were successful.

The first was in 2014, which was ironically a year that they finished the regular season as the No. 1 seed, but they fell to Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl which served as the semifinals for the National Championship.

The second came in 2017, when they snuck into the playoff as the No. 4 seed, but went on to win the National Championship over SEC rival Georgia.

All other years Alabama had a winning record against the spread. Their best season at the betting window came in 2016, which ended in a National Championship loss to Clemson.

You can expect Alabama to only lose one game at most in the upcoming regular season, but that doesn’t mean you should blindly bet on them to cover the spread.

WynnBET has the Crimson Tide set as 18.5-point favorites in their Week 1 matchup against the Miami Hurricanes.

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