We have four NCAAF Bowl games scheduled for Saturday, December 31, and you can’t afford to miss out on the best Crimson Tide vs. Wildcats betting pick and odds.

Alabama and Kansas State will be fighting for the Sugar Bowl when they meet at the Caesars Superdome. The Crimson Tide are -6.5 favorites on MyBookie Sportsbook, while the total is set at 56 points. These non-conference rivals will meet for the first time.

Crimson Tide dismantled Auburn at home

The Alabama Crimson Tide (10-2-0, 6-6-0 ATS) bounce back from a tight 32-31 overtime road loss to the LSU Tigers with three consecutive wins to finish the regular season. The Crimson Tide didn’t have problems against the Auburn Tigers in a 49-27 home victory. The game was pretty much decided in the opening half as the Tide scored 35 points and allowed 14 in return and then they just maintained a big lead to get a W. Alabama totaled 516 yards opposite Auburn’s 395.

Bryce Young completed 20 of 30 passes for 343 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. He also added 48 rushing yards and a TD on five carries. Jahmyr Gibbs led the team with 76 yards and a score on 17 attempts, while Jase McClellan and Roydell Williams found the end zone on the ground as well. Jermaine Burton led all the receivers with 87 yards on three catches, while Ja’Corey Brooks (76 yards and a TD on four receptions), Traeshon Holden, and Jase McClellan scored receiving touchdowns. Defensively, Will Anderson Jr. had two of the team’s four sacks, while Deontae Lawson posted a team-high nine tackles.

Wildcats won the Big 12 Championship

The Kansas State Wildcats (10-3-0, 9-3-1 ATS) ended the regular season with three wins and reached the Big 12 Championship game where they beat the TCU Horned Frogs in overtime to claim their first conference title since 2012. It was a wild game in which the Wildcats had a 28-17 lead midway through the fourth quarter, but the Horned Frogs managed to tie and force overtime. Ty Zentner hit a game-winning 31-yard field goal to win the championship for Kansas State and hand TCU its first loss of the campaign.

Will Howard completed 18 of 32 passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns. He contributed with a rushing touchdown as well but Deuce Vaughn was the one who led all the runners with 130 yards and a score on 26 carries. In the air, Ben Sinnott and RJ Garcia II each recorded a touchdown, while Phillip Brooks led the team with 48 yards on six receptions. On defense, Daniel Green had a game-high ten tackles.

WR Malik Knowles has an unknown injury, and his status for the Sugar Bowl against Alabama is unclear.

Trends:

Alabama:

  • 10-4 ATS in the last 14 non-conference games
  • 5-1 ATS in the last six Bowl games
  • 4-1 ATS in the last five neutral site games

Kansas State:

N/A

Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Kansas State Wildcats Pick

Considering the numbers, Alabama has a better offense and defense. The Tide has the fourth-best offense in the country that averages 40.8 points per game opposite Kansas State’s 33.2 ppg. When it comes to defense, Alabama allows 18.0 ppg, while the Wildcats are allowing 20.1 ppg. Kansas State could be without its best receiver Malik Knowles, and if he doesn’t play the Tide’s chances to win the Sugar Bowl will grow. Bama also has a top-20 pass defense that surrenders 186.0 yards per game to the opposing receivers, so the Wildcats will find it hard to move the chains through the air.

Pick: Take the Crimson Tide at -4.5 (-133)

The Total

Alabama scored at least 30 points in each of its last six games and the Tide have a top-30 pass offense that averages 278.3 yards per contest. The Wildcats allow 216.9 ypg to the opposing receivers, so I am backing Bryce Young to have a 250+ passing-yard display on Saturday and multiple touchdowns. Kansas State also scored 30+ points in each of its previous four games, but the Wildcats allowed 27+ in each of the past three. Over is 7-2 in the Crimson Tide’s last nine Bowl games, while Over is 4-1 in the Wildcats’ previous five games following a straight-up win.

Pick: Go Over 55.5 points (-125)