Alabama vs. Georgia Betting Odds: Nick Saban Tests Positive for COVID-19

Alabama vs. Georgia Betting Odds: Nick Saban Tests Positive for COVID-19 article feature image
Credit:

Kent Gidley/Collegiate Images/Getty Images. Pictured: Nick Saban.

  • Betting odds for Saturday's Alabama vs. Georgia college football game (8 p.m. ET, CBS) have the Tide listed as 4-point favorites.
  • That spread came down from -6 or -6.5 Wednesday, after head coach Nick Saban tested positive for COVID-19.
  • Check out the full details on how books reacted below.

Georgia at Alabama Odds

Georgia Odds+4.5 [BET NOW]
Alabama Odds-4.5 [BET NOW]
Moneyline+155/-186 [BET NOW]
Over/Under56 [BET NOW]
TimeSaturday, 8 p.m. ET
TVCBS

Odds as of Wednesday evening and via PointsBet, where you can get $250 FREE instantly after signing up AND your bets automatically sync to the Action app.Learn more about BetSync here.


If you've ever caught yourself wondering how much the best head coach in college football is worth to the spread, you basically got your answer Wednesday.

About 2.5 points.

Just before 6 p.m. ET, the University of Alabama announced that Nick Saban had tested positive for COVID-19. At the time, the Crimson Tide were 6- to 6.5-point favorites over Georgia in arguably the biggest regular season matchup on the 2020 college football schedule.

It didn't take much time for the betting market to take notice, as Bama was down to just -4 within about 10 minutes. Some books even went as far as -3.5, though it doesn't appear that any ever reached the key field-goal margin of -3.

Those that dipped below four have since reversed course, and some have even come back up to -4.5. As of Wednesday night, 57% of spread bets are still landing on the Tide.

“It was just a line adjustment based on Saban likely not being able to coach,” DraftKings' head of sportsbook Johnny Avello said. “No significant action one way or the other there.”

And for those curious, Saban, while boasting a spectacular track record on the field, hasn't presented quite as impressive of a record against-the-spread (ATS) — at least not in recent years.

While he's 97-84 (53.6%) ATS during his time as Alabama's head coach, the market seems to be catching up to his greatness. He's just 22-23 (48.9%) over the past 3+ years.

How would you rate this article?

This site contains commercial content. We may be compensated for the links provided on this page. The content on this page is for informational purposes only. Action Network makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the information given or the outcome of any game or event.