Missouri vs Alabama Odds & Picks Week 9: Don't Bet On 'Bama

An Alabama program that was once the picture of consistency under coach Nick Saban has devolved into unpredictable chaos under current boss Kalen DeBoer. Win a shootout over Georgia in a top-five matchup, lose at Vanderbilt for the first time in forever. Barely scrape by against South Carolina at home, barely score against Tennessee on the road. What in the name of Bear Bryant is going on here?

For sports bettors, it’s all become a crimson-colored minefield. Alabama has dropped three straight ATS, and hasn’t covered as a double-digit favorite since beating Wisconsin on Sept. 14. Now here comes nationally ranked Missouri, which stands at 6-1 overall and has won two straight ATS. Once again, the Tide is a sizeable favorite—in this case, 13.5 points—Saturday at home. How much brown liquor is there in Tuscaloosa? Not enough.

Missouri vs Alabama Odds

Matchup Page: Missouri vs Alabama, 3:30 pm ET

Odds as of October 22 from FanDuel

Missouri vs Alabama Picks – Week 9

Alabama has been maddening over the past month from a sports betting perspective. The Crimson Tide secondary has looked so flawed that three consecutive games turned into shootouts, with quarterback Jalen Milroe able to do enough to win two of them. And then last week even that safety net dissipated, as turnovers and penalties resulted in a grinding 24-17 loss at 3.5-point underdog Tennessee.

Tennessee’s defense is very good, and lured Alabama into playing at its tempo. Missouri, third in the SEC in total defense, will try to follow that same game plan. And the Tigers also have a quarterback in Brady Cook who can aim to exploit Alabama’s weakness against the downfield passing game. If Vanderbilt and South Carolina could do it, then Luther Burden—easily one of the top receivers in the league—certainly can.

Missouri has battled its own inconsistency this year, winning squeakers over Boston College and Vandy, getting hammered at Texas A&M in its first road game, and doing just enough to win and cover against 3.5-point underdog Auburn last week. Saturday in Bryant-Denny Stadium is a very different challenge indeed. But it boils down to this: do you trust Alabama right now, after the past four weeks? That answer is a resounding no. 

Missouri vs Alabama Week 9 Pick: Missouri +13.5 (-105)

Alabama thanks to its deficiencies on defense has gone OVER in four of its last five. Missouri has split its last four against the total, but one of those UNDERS was a 45-3 rout of Massachusetts. There’s a lot of talent on both offenses in this game, which should translate into a lot of opportunities to put points on the board.  

Missouri vs Alabama Week 9 Pick: OVER 56 (-112)

*picks made as of Monday, October 21 at 1:30 pm ET

Missouri vs Alabama News

Cook suffered an ankle injury early against Auburn, left to get an MRI, and returned to engineer a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown drives. There was no word early in the week on whether his ankle would be an issue against Alabama. Tigers running back Nate Noel was also limited against Auburn with a foot injury. Meanwhile Alabama’s battered defensive backfield will be without starting safety Kalen Sabb with an undisclosed lower injury, DeBoer told reporters Monday, though three more DBs injured at Tennessee are expected to play Saturday.

Missouri vs Alabama Prop Bet: Jalen Milroe Anytime TD (-350)

The Alabama quarterback endured his worst game of the season last week at Tennessee, throwing a pair of interceptions and finding himself bottled up on the ground. For the first time this year, Milroe didn’t record a rushing touchdown. But with 10 scores on the season, the QB run remains a potent part of Alabama’s offense, and expect more emphasis in that area Saturday against Missouri.

Missouri vs Alabama Betting Trends