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Alabama continued its hot run with a ho-hum win over reeling LSU in Week 11. The victory pushed the Crimson Tide’s winning streak to eight, and they now sit at a perfect 6-0 in the SEC. It’s hard to envision Alabama missing out on a berth in the College Football Playoff at this point.

That doesn’t mean it can’t happen, though. The Tide have a couple of tough games left on their schedule, including this Saturday’s visit from Oklahoma.

Alabama is a 5.5-point favorite over the Sooners in this critical SEC battle.

The stakes are quite high for both of these teams. Alabama all but assures itself a place in the College Football Playoff (and, most likely, SEC Championship Game) with a win, while Oklahoma would keep its hopes of a trip to the playoffs alive with an upset.

The Sooners were left for dead after losing to Texas and Ole Miss, but they rebounded with a massive victory against Tennessee in what was essentially an elimination game. And, don’t forget, it wasn’t that long ago that Oklahoma was considered one of the best teams in the country.

Oklahoma’s offense seemed to get much of the praise in the early part of the schedule when quarterback John Mateer looked like the Heisman favorite, but it’s really the defense that makes the Sooners a scary opponent — and a great team to bet as an underdog.

According to SP+, Bill Connelly’s catch-all metric, only two teams (Ohio State, Oregon) boast better defenses than Oklahoma this season. The traditional numbers back it up. Oklahoma is fourth in the country in yards per play allowed (4.0) and ninth in points allowed per contest (15.5).

An elite defense won’t mean much without a competent offense against a team like Alabama, but with Mateer healthy and getting back to 100 percent, Oklahoma should give the Tide’s defense all it can handle, too.

Alabama is rock solid. It’s hard to find a hole in this group. But, if you’re betting the Tide right now, you’re getting in at the high-water mark, and you’re doing it against one of the best teams in the country.

Oklahoma pulls the upset.

The Play: Oklahoma (+180, FanDuel)

Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.