Darren Lee/Cal Sport Media/Sipa USA

Mercer Bears vs Alabama Crimson Tide: A must-win game for the Crimson Tide

The Alabama Crimson Tide are hosting the Mercer Bears at Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, AL on Saturday.

The Bears are in solid form

The Mercer Bears are on top of the Southern Conference with a 9-1 record, including 6-1 in conference play. They have won the last three games and are coming off a 34-0 win over VMI. Whitt Newbauer completed 15 of 30 passes for 282 yards for the Bears. Mercer averages 35.4 points per game and 327 yards per game.

Are the Crimson Tide a top contender to win this year?

The Alabama Crimson Tide is sixth in the SEC with a 7-2 record, including 4-2 at home. They have won the last two games and are coming off a 42-13 win over LSU. Jalen Milroe had a career-high 185 yards rushing with four scoring runs. The Crimson Tide average 430.4 yards and 38.1 points per game.

Betting Trends

The Crimson Tide are 17-3 SU in their last 20 games overall, 10-0 SU in their last 10 home games, and 5-0 SU in their last 5 games against teams from the Southern Conference. They are 13-7 ATS in their last 20 games overall, 6-13 ATS in their last 19 games played in Week 12, and 13-6 ATS in their last 19 games played on Saturday. Alabama has played over the total point line in 11 of their last 16 games overall, 5 of their last 6 games played in November, and 6 of their last 8 home games played on Saturday. The Bears are 0-9 SU in their last 9 games overall, 0-5 SU in their last 5 games on the road, and 0-5 SU in their last 5 games against teams from the Southeastern Conference. They are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall and have played over the total point line in 3 of their last 4 games overall.

Prediction and Conclusion

The Alabama Crimson Tide are ranked 10th in the nation, but there is no doubt that whoever plans to win the championship this season will need to go past them. They proved all the hype in a 42-13 road win at LSU last week. The Mercer Bears are the next time on the schedule, and this will not be even a real challenge for the Crimson Tide. The Bears look good in the Southern Conference, but the level of their opponents is not even close to what they will face on Saturday. There is no doubt that Mercer will be all hyped up, but that will make no difference, as Alabama wins this one by covering the -41.5-point spread.