Alabama opens as a 14.5 point favorite in Baton Rouge

If you had to wonder just how much respect this Alabama team gets from Vegas, wonder no more:

Bettors usually love a home underdog, and a consensus top five team getting more than two touchdowns at home is exceedingly rare. For some perspective, #2 Clemson got 18 points as they traveled to play a horrid Florida State team last week. A spread of this size in a game of this magnitude is a very big deal.

The Tide will be facing a LSU defense that has not allowed more than 26 points in Death Valley since Dave Aranda showed up on campus. Of course, this is also the first time that they will face an Alabama offense, led by Tua Tagovailoa, that has blown out every team on the schedule with an average of 38 points in the first half of its games. This will be the most difficult challenge to date for both sides.

Thoughts?

Update: More Vegas love for the Tide in the form of better-than-even odds to win it all.