Mercer Bears (0-0) vs. Alabama Crimson Tide (1-0)
September 11, 2021 4:00 pm EDT
The Line: Alabama Crimson Tide -53.5
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The Alabama Crimson Tide meet the Mercer Bears Saturday in week 2 college football action from Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mercer posted a huge win over Point GA in their opener to start the year at 1-0. As for the Tide, they played Miami-FL in their first game. Alabama cruised to a 31-point win in that one. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place.
Mercer got in a pretty full slate of 11 games last season, finishing 5-6 overall and 5-3 in Southern Conference play. That result left the Bears in fourth place in the conference standings. Mercer started out at just 1-5 but ended up winning four of their last five matchups.
In the opener versus Point GA, Mercer took an enormous 69-0 blowout victory. The Bears were up 42-0 at the break and never let up. QB Carter Peevy finished with 139 yards and a TD, while Tommy Pollack carried 13 times for 111 yards and two scores.
Over on the Alabama side, there’s not much to complain about when it comes to last season’s performance. The Tide “rolled” to a perfect 13-0 finish and a Southeastern Conference championship. Alabama beat Ohio State in the CFP National Championship 52-24 to cap off the perfect campaign.
In week one versus Miami, the Tide scored in every quarter on the way to a dominant 44-13 victory. Bryce Young threw for 344 yards and four touchdowns on a 27-of-38 line, and Jameson Williams notched 126 yards and a score from four grabs to lead the receivers.
PICK: I’m going to go ahead and stick with Alabama, even though the line is crazy thick. The Tide were dominant in most facets of the game in week one, notching 501 total yards, 28 first downs, a 37:03 time of possession and a solid 10-of-16 on third downs. Alabama only punted twice, but did come up with eight penalties for 81 yards.
As for Mercer, it’s tough to gauge how strong of a team they are following an overmatched opener opponent, but the Bears could surprise a few people this season if they play to their capabilities. Still, I think the Tide are safer on a cover here.
