Has the shock worn off yet, Bama fans?

After the first such loss to Vanderbilt last weekend, it hasn’t been an easy week for anyone associated with the Crimson Tide. Alabama’s defense was unavailable in Nashville and will need to improve quickly if the team wants to qualify for the SEC Championship Game.

The Tide can turn the Vandy game on its head this weekend when they host South Carolina at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama is the big favorite on Saturday. Read on for the odds, as well as our Alabama vs. South Carolina prediction and best bet.

Alabama vs South Carolina Prediction

As devastating as last week’s result was, there is too much pride in the Alabama locker room to carry that feeling over to the next game. A loss doesn’t mean the end of the season, especially now that the College Football Playoff has expanded to 12 teams.

Alabama (4-1 SU, 3-2 ATS) still has it all, and expect players to give it their all early Saturday against South Carolina (3-2 SU, 3-2 SU , 3-2) to set the tone. 2 ATS). They want to prove to the home fans and themselves that they are still an elite team with a chance to win conference and national championships.

All of these factors make Alabama’s -11.5 first half value a strong bet.

Both teams have shown that they are capable of lighting up the scoreboard and this should be a good setting for both teams to do so. Alabama will likely improve, but is one week enough for the Crimson Tide to make significant improvements? Probably not.

South Carolina (2-3 to the over) didn’t score a touchdown in last week’s loss to Ole Miss, so the coaching staff will be keeping the offensive players’ attention at practice this week. Expect this to translate to an improved performance on that side of the ball against Alabama, which is 4-1 to the over.

If you think South Carolina will bounce back and Alabama’s defense won’t be as good a week after the Vanderbilt debacle, the third pick above is a must-have bet for your portfolio this weekend.

Alabama has given up at least 20 points in nine straight SEC games. The series includes the final two weeks against Georgia and Vanderbilt, in which the Tide gave up a combined 74 points.

CFB Week 7 odds Alabama vs. South Carolina

Based on the available points spread heading into last weekend’s games, Alabama had a lead of more than 21 points. After Alabama’s loss to Vanderbilt, some online sportsbooks lowered the spread to under 21 points, but those numbers didn’t last long.

Now Alabama is the all-time favorite by 21 or 21.5 points. The over/under value is between 50.5 and 51.5.

Alabama vs. South Carolina moneyline odds analysis for Week 7

Why Alabama could be the favorite to win

Best odds: -1700 odds at Caesars Sportsbook

As much as it hurt Alabama to lose to Vanderbilt, at least the game wasn’t played in Tuscaloosa. Returning to the friendly atmosphere of Bryant-Denny Stadium will be a huge advantage for Alabama over South Carolina.

The Tide led the SEC with a 65-3 record in home games over the last 10 seasons and is 3-0 this year. One of those wins was a thrilling victory over Georgia two weeks ago.

The Alabama football world isn’t ending under first-year coach Kalen DeBoer. The Crimson Tide will be fine. They have an extremely talented roster with an elite QB in Jalen Milroe who can take the offense to a level that South Carolina can’t reach, even if the defense continues to struggle.

Why South Carolina could win as an underdog

Best odds: +1100 at FanDuel Sportsbook

South Carolina, like Alabama, had a disappointing performance. The Gamecocks have something to be happy about

There is so much parity in the SEC that few results are surprising.

For example, South Carolina beat Kentucky with Kentucky. Kentucky beat Ole Miss at Ole Miss, and then Ole Miss beat South Carolina at South Carolina. It’s almost like playing at home is a disadvantage.

Could this be a good sign for the Gamecocks in Tuscaloosa? In this unpredictable era of college football, don’t count any team out.

If Alabama’s defense doesn’t get its act together, South Carolina has an offense good enough to compete in the standings. The Gamecocks have scored at least 30 points in two SEC games.

South Carolina, like Alabama, had a disappointing performance. The Gamecocks can expect to have a better performance than last week against Ole Miss.

If they get it done in the fourth quarter against Alabama, will Crimson Tide players think harder about the potential of another crushing loss?