Early line shift in Alabama at Texas Week Two matchup

• Alabama opened as a 19.5-point favorite when they travel to Austin to take on the Texas Longhorns next week.
• After a strong performance by the Crimson Tide in Week One, bettors for Nick Saban’s squad have already caused that line to shift to 20.5
• As the betting line continues to shift it is important for Crimson Tide bettors to bet early and Texas’ bettors to wait for the line to settle.

AUSTIN, Texas – Despite Week One of the college football season ending just last night, online betting sites have already had to move the line in the Alabama versus Texas matchup.

Alabama was favored by 19 points, but as bets have continued to pour in on the Crimson Tide, they are becoming an even larger favorite.

Best time to bet on the Alabama versus Texas matchup

With college football sportsbooks having already shifted by 1.5 points the best time to bet on the matchup of the future conference rivals depends on which side of the action you plan on wagering on:

• Betting strategy for Alabama: Bet early on the Crimson Tide, as the -115 odds on Alabama to cover the -20.5 point spread means online sportsbooks are likely to move the line even more. Adding even half a point more to the 20.5 spread means Alabama could no longer win by three touchdowns to cover the spread, which makes it less likely that they would do so.
• Betting strategy for Texas: Waiting until late into the week may pay large dividends as the high likelihood that the line moves to +21 for the Longhorns means bets would on them to cover would be even higher than they are now. It may not be beneficial for UT bettors if Alabama were to win by 21 points, but not losing their bets would surely take the sting out of it.

Why has the betting line changed in the Crimson Tide versus Longhorns matchup?

Texas fans may not love seeing that their team is about to be a three-touchdown underdog versus Alabama, but it may not be a surprise.

That is especially true following Alabama’s dismantling of Utah State by a score of 55 to 0 in their season opener.

A dominant performance such as that can greatly influence why a line shift so dramatic has already taken place at online sportsbooks, but it is still interesting to note that a line movement supporting a blowout for Alabama does not mean that public perception on the Longhorns is down relative their standing before the season.

Texas had +5000 odds to win the National Championship prior to Week One, but following their dominant showing versus Louisiana-Monroe, they now have +3300 odds to win the College Football Playoff.

Alabama has maintained its status as the favorite to win the CFP at +200.

Brett Crown

Brett spends his time inhaling all things sports. With a passion for statistics and an in-depth understanding of the minor details of sport he loves to put his knowledge to the test. When he is not writing you can find him bowling, tossing the pigskin, or beaching it on the golf course.