Georgia Dome - Atlanta, GA
Kickoff: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET
Line: Alabama -26, Total: 55

One of the elite programs in college football, No. 2 Alabama, looks to start another title run as it opens its season Saturday versus West Virginia at the Georgia Dome.

Alabama has been the cream of the crop in college football since Nick Saban took over as head coach in 2007, winning three National Championships in that time. The Tide continued to be successful last year with an 11-2 overall record (7-1 in SEC), but suffered losses in their final regular-season contest and the Sugar Bowl. As usual, a wealth of talent was taken from the team as they entered the NFL with eight players leaving; including defensive stalwarts DB Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix and LB C.J. Mosley in the first round and QB AJ McCarron, a three-year starter for the team. In 2014 there will be plenty of fresh faces, but if the past is any indication, this roster is talented enough to once again compete for the Championship. The 2013 season was supposed to be a rebuilding effort for the once prominent West Virginia club who knew it would not be the same after the loss of stud QB Geno Smith. What the Mountaineers did not see coming was a season in which no other quarterback stepped up, leading the team to a woeful 4-8 record overall while going 2-7 in the Big 12. One positive to take from the season is that WVU sent three of the final four games into overtime, and if it was able to capture a victory instead of a loss in each of those contests, it would have been bowl eligible. The NFL took a top player from each side of the ball with HB Charles Sims and DE William Clarke both being drafted in the third round. These two programs have never met, so it should be exciting to see how the rebuilding Mountaineers handle a juggernaut like the Crimson Tide. Bettors should be aware that West Virginia is a poor 5-15 ATS (25%) in games played on a neutral field since 1992 while the Crimson Tide are a mere 4-6 ATS in non-conference games over the past three seasons.

Alabama once again used its monster offensive line to propel a great running game which ranked 25th in the nation last year (205.6 YPG) while the club still put up solid numbers in the passing game (248.5 YPG, 50th in FBS). The loss of McCarron could certainly take away from some of this production through the air while the bid to take over in his absence is still undecided as both senior QB Blake Sims and Florida State transfer Jake Coker remain at the top of the depth chart. One area where the team has no concerns in is the running attack, as HB T.J. Yeldon returns to the field in an attempt to put up a third straight season with more than 1,100 yards and at least 12 touchdowns. Last year he averaged 6.0 yards per carry and scored a touchdown in all but two contests. Behind him will be the duo of HBs Kenyan Drake and Derrick Henry, who combined for an impressive 1,076 rushing yards on a mere 128 carries (8.4 YPC) while adding 11 TD. The team’s leading receiver from last season, WR Amari Cooper, will return for his senior year after posting 736 yards (16.4 YPC) and four touchdowns a year ago. Alabama really likes to spread the ball around though, with five different receivers getting at least 20 receptions in 2013. On the defensive side of things, the Crimson Tide ranked fourth in the nation in points allowed (13.9 PPG) and fifth in total defense last season (286.5 total YPG allowed). This year, both DB Landon Collins (67 tackles, 2 INT in 2013) and LB Trey DePriest (74 tackles, 2 sacks in 2013), look to continue the tradition of great defenses in Tuscaloosa.

The loss of QB Geno Smith left the Mountaineers in a tailspin last season as they ranked 79th in the nation in scoring (26.3 PPG). Surprisingly their passing was not the issue, as it ranked 34th in FBS with 262.3 YPG, but their rushing attack was able to get only 148.7 YPG on the ground (83rd in FBS). They hope that Florida State transfer QB Clint Trickett can improve on his campaign from last year with the club when he threw for 1,605 yards (6.9 YPA) while adding 7 TD and 7 INT. He gave fans hope with his best performance coming in the last game of the year when he went 21-for-37 with 356 yards and 2 TD and 2 INT against Iowa State. West Virginia will likely lean on HB Dreamius Smith to carry the rushing workload after putting up 494 yards (4.8 YPC) with five touchdowns last year. Giving him a hand will be Pittsburgh transfer HB Rushel Shell who as a freshman for the Panthers in 2012 ran for 641 yards (4.5 YPC) and 4 TD. WR Mario Alford was a big-play receiver for the Mountaineers in 2013 with 552 yards (20.4 YPC) and two touchdowns while WR Kevin White, the team’s leader in touchdowns (5), also will return for his senior season. The defense for this program looked atrocious last year while allowing 33.3 PPG (100th in FBS), and DL Kyle Rose (49 tackles in 2013) hopes that he can lead the team to a better showing this year.