ESPN Computer Predicts Winner Of Alabama vs. Texas Game

ESPN already has decided which team will be Week 2's matchup in Tuscaloosa thanks to a computer.

Aaron E. Martinez / American-Statesman-USA TODAY NETWORK

The stage is set early for one of college football's biggest games of 2023, and according to ESPN, the winner has already been determined. 

Texas and Alabama take the field at Bryant-Denny Stadium for Round 2 of the home-and-home series to claim a higher seed in the national rankings before conference play begins. Last season, Texas nearly pulled off the upset a Royal-Memorial Stadium, but an injury to quarterback Quinn Ewers led to a 20-19 loss. 

The Crimson Tide, which finished 11-2 behind the arm of Heisman-winning quarterback Bryce Young, hasn't lost in Tuscaloosa since their 46-41 shootout against Joe Burrow and LSU in 2019. 

Based on the latest analytics from ESPN, that won't happen in September against the Longhorns. The website gives Alabama a 76.4 percent win probability.

Both teams are projected to be contenders in their respective conferences for the upcoming year. The Longhorns, who are slated to join the SEC, along with Oklahoma in 2024, are the early betting favorites to win the Big 12 with a preseason projected win total of 9.5. 

Alabama is no longer the favorite to win the conference but remains the top dog in SEC West with a preseason projected win total of 10.5. The Crimson Tide must find a replacement for Young, who became the first quarterback in program history selected with the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft last month, as well as several other high-profile defensive prospects. 

Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian, a former assistant under Nick Saban, already has named Quinn Ewers the starter for Week 1's matchup against Rice. Barring an injury in fall camp, he likely will see action when Texas rolls into Tuscaloosa on Sept. 9. 

Ewers, who won Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, looked dialed in during the first quarter against the Crimson Tide last season in Austin. Following a 46-yard pass to Xavier Worthy, Ewers would suffer an AC sprain on a hit by Dallas Turner. He would miss the remainder of the game, thus swinging momentum in favor of Alabama late. 

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