Alabama starting quarterback odds: Ty Simpson favored over Tyler Buchner, Jalen Milroe to be under center for 2023 season opener vs. Middle Tennessee

Remember when it almost didn't matter who Alabama's starting quarterback was early in Nick Saban's tenure? Those teams would generally win with a caretaker at QB and a dominant run game and defense. However, Saban eventually adapted to the offensive times, and the Tide signal-caller job is now one of the marquee spots in college football. There's a three-way battle in fall camp to replace former Heisman winner Bryce Young in 2023, and SportsLine offers odds on the Week 1 starter vs. Middle Tennessee between Ty Simpson, Tyler Buchner and Jalen Milroe.

Alabama opened preseason camp Thursday and the QB competition was the No. 1 topic at Saban's first press conference after losing the two-year starter and record-setting Young, who was the first QB to win the Heisman at Bama and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft by Carolina.

Saban is buddies will Bill Belichick and in some ways they are similar in press conferences: You are getting no valuable information out of them.

"You're gonna ask me about the quarterbacks every day, and every day I'm gonna tell you the same thing," Saban said Thursday. "You know, everybody's getting reps at the position. Somebody's gotta take the bull by the horns. Somebody's gotta separate themselves. When that happens, we'll tell you. We'll be glad to tell you when we're going to take the cake out of the oven.

Milroe is a redshirt sophomore who was the No. 14 QB recruit in the nation in the Class of 2021 via sister-site 247Sports. He was Young's backup in 2022 and saw action in eight games, including a start in a 24-20 home escape vs. Texas A&M when Young was hurt. The Texas native Milroe looked good in completing 12 of 19 for 111 yards with three TDs and a pick while rushing for 81 yards.

He's probably the best runner of the three but the least accurate passer and more prone to turnovers (three picks on 53 attempts in 2022). In this year's A-Day Game (spring), Milroe was 19-for-37 for 245 yards and two scores and rushed for 45 yards and a score but had two more picks.  

Simpson is a redshirt freshman who was the No. 4 QB recruit in the Class of 2022 out of Tennessee. He saw brief action in four games last year, completing 4-of-5 passes for 35 yards. This spring, Simpson was 12-for-26 for 155 yards, no TDs and one pick while rushing for 62 yards on six carries.

For what it's worth, SEC Network analyst Jordan Rodgers said this during last month's SEC Media Days: "Based on what I saw in Alabama's spring game this year makes me think Ty Simpson is going to start the year at quarterback. I think from an arm strength and arm talent standpoint, Ty's got the edge over Jalen Milroe and Tyler Buchner. Alabama is going to need a need a guy that can just play point guard, limit mistakes and consistently distribute the football to the sheer number of talent around them."

Buchner, the No. 10 overall QB recruit in the Class of 2021 out of California, opened last season as Notre Dame's starter but got hurt in the second game and didn't make it back until the Gator Bowl, in which he was 18-for-33 for 273 yards, three TDs and three picks while rushing for 61 yards and two scores in a win over SEC school South Carolina. The redshirt sophomore returned to South Bend originally but entered the transfer portal on April 25. Buchner wasn't going to be Notre Dame's 2023 starter once former Wake Forest start Sam Hartman transferred in.

While Buchner missed all of Alabama's spring activities, he has one advantage over Simpson and Milroe: His familiarity with new Tide offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, who also left South Bend earlier this year for Tuscaloosa to replace outgoing OC Bill O'Brien, now in the same role with the New England Patriots.

Saban said Buchner and Rees' relationship was helpful for evaluating Buchner before he joined the team: "Tommy knew the guy better than anybody could know him. I mean, he coached him for a couple years. The guy was injured last year so we didn't get as much experience. I think he started two games and played fairly well so we got the opportunity to see that, but you know, Tommy knows him better than anybody else could."

The Tide's fall/preseason camp runs through Aug. 26 and the season opener is Sept. 2 vs. Middle Tennessee, which is a 38.5-point favorite. It obviously won't  matter who the QB in that matchup will be, but it absolutely will matter Sept. 9 vs. Texas, which has a top Heisman candidate under center in Quinn Ewers and nearly upset Young and the Tide last season in Austin.

Via SportsLine oddsmakers: Which QB will start for Alabama in the opener?

• Ty Simpson +120
• Tyler Buchner +175
• Jalen Milroe +350

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