Alabama-Georgia betting line moves drastically after Nick Saban news

The SEC community was shocked by Alabama’s announcement that head coach Nick Saban and Greg Byrne have both tested positive for COVID-19.

When dealing with COVID, things develop rapidly and plans can change in an instant, but as of right now, the Alabama-Georgia game is still on. Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian is currently serving as the acting head coach in Saban’s absence.

At sportsbooks both in Las Vegas and offshore, the impact was instantly felt. Patrick Everson of Covers.com shared that at the Las Vegas SuperBook, the line dropped in 15 minutes from Alabama -6 to -4. Handicapper Danny Sheridan shared similar numbers from offshore books as well as MGM Mirage dropping from -6 to -4.5.

If the game is played as scheduled, the betting line may look completely different by Saturday.

Per @SuperBookSports Eric Osterman (@Ebets91), Alabama drops from -6 to -4 in last 15 minutes, on news of Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban’s positive COVID test. @Covers

— Patrick Everson (@Covers_Vegas) October 14, 2020

without Nick Saban, the biggest offshore sports book has dropped the Ala line from -6 to -4; in Vegas, Mirage has 4.5 & Westgate has Ala -4.

— Danny Sheridan (@DannySheridan1) October 14, 2020

Andrew Olson

Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.