Kickoff: Saturday, September 5 at 11:00 AM CT
Location: Bryant-Denny Stadium
TV: ABC
DraftKings line (Aug. 30): ALA -28.5
Over/under: 53.5

The setup

Alabama is expected to win comfortably as a 28.5-point favorite. Alabama has not lost to a team outside today’s power-conference tier since 2007 when it fell to Louisiana Monroe in Nick Saban’s first year at the helm.

What I’m watching

All eyes will be on Crimson Tide QB Keelon Russell as he makes his first start, but Alabama fans should pay close attention to the run game, which must be better than last season. Alabama was one of the worst teams in the nation at running the ball last year, ranking well outside the top 100 in FBS.

Personnel snapshot

• East Carolina: Blake Harrell enters Year 3 as head coach. 3 starters return—1 on offense and 2 on defense. Key defenders back include Jasiyah Robinson and DJ Johnson Jr.. The ECU defense allowed 351.0 yards and 20.2 points per game last season.
• East Carolina quarterback: Mitch Griffis is projected to start for East Carolina. Last season at Texas Tech, he threw for 357 yards, 2 TD and 0 INT.
• Alabama: Kalen DeBoer enters Year 3 as head coach. 7 starters return—3 on offense and 4 on defense. Key defenders back include Yhonzae Pierre, Zabien Brown, and Bray Hubbard. The Alabama defense allowed 296.8 yards and 19.2 points per game last season.
• Alabama quarterback: Alabama has named Russell its starter. Last season, he threw for 143 yards, 2 TD and 0 INT.

How the game is decided

Alabama should win on what is expected to be a hot day in Tuscaloosa. But keep an eye on Ryan Williams-Coleman, who hopes his 2026 season is more like his 2024 freshman year than his 2025 sophomore season.

Prediction

I make my final predictions on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook at @uthinkuknowsports.

Full disclosure: I use AI tools to format my research into an article encompassing all of the information.