College football Week 3 opening line report, odds, spreads: Alabama vs. Florida marquee matchup; Gators biggest home underdogs since 2013

There are three ranked matchups around college football in Week 3 with the clear marquee game Saturday featuring top-ranked Alabama visiting No. 11 Florida in a potential SEC Championship Game preview (although we expect it to be Bama vs. Georgia). The Gators opened at +16 on the Caesars Sportsbook odds, the biggest number at which they have been underdogs at home since Nov. 30, 2013, in a blowout loss to rival Florida State. CBS has the 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff.

These schools met in last year's SEC title game and the No. 1 Tide beat the No. 7 Gators 52-46. That was Alabama's lone game of the year decided by single digits. Both starting quarterbacks from that one (Mac Jones and Kyle Trask) are now in the NFL.

Alabama has no QB worries currently with Bryce Young, who remains the +300 favorite at Caesars to win the Heisman Trophy. Young was an efficient 19-for-27 for 227 yards and three TDs in the Tide's 48-14 "scrimmage" win over Mercer this past Saturday.

Florida, though, might have a QB controversy. Coach Dan Mullen says he is sticking with struggling Emory Jones as his starter, but Jones might not have a long leash having thrown two interceptions in each of the first two games. They haven't cost the Gators against overmatched opponents but obviously Alabama is a different story.

Freshman backup Anthony Richardson threw TD passes on each of his first two pass attempts against South Florida on Saturday and also ran for an 80-yard touchdown. He was the first Florida player with at least 100 passing yards and 100 rushing yards in a game since Tim Tebow in 2009. Mullen did say he will continue to play both guys.

The Tide, who are +200 national title favorites, have won seven straight in this series (5-2 against the spread), with the Gators' last victory in the 2008 SEC Championship Game. Alabama was a rare underdog that day and has been a dog just twice since. The Tide haven't been to Gainesville since 2011.

The other Top 25 matchups on Saturday are No. 22 Auburn at No. 10 Penn State (the ABC prime-time game; ESPN GameDay will be in Happy Valley) and No. 19 Arizona State at No. 23 BYU. The Nittany Lions are -6 and the Sun Devils -3.5. 

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