Can Jalen Milroe Lead Alabama to CFP Title?

Can Jalen Milroe Lead Alabama to CFP Title?
Fact Checked by Pat McLoone

The transformation of Alabama sophomore quarterback Jalen Milroe could have a storybook ending.

Heading into Saturday’s home contest with Chattanooga (7-3), Alabama (9-1, 7-0 SEC) has won eight consecutive games since a 34-24 home loss to Texas on Sept. 9. Early in the season, you wouldn’t have figured that, nor backed the Tide if Alabama sports betting was legal.

That’s largely because Alabama experienced inconsistent quarterback play over the first three games, including a Milroe benching in Alabama’s 17-3 road win at South Florida on Sept. 16. Since then, Milroe was finally given full control of the position and has flourished.

So far this season, Milroe has completed 129 of 198 passes (65.2%) for 2,070 yards, with 16 touchdowns and six interceptions and has been sacked 32 times. He also has rushed for 333 yards and 12 TD on 105 carries.

DraftKings Sportsbook lists Milroe at +5000 to win the Heisman Trophy, which places him sixth in the field. That is a remarkable accomplishment considering where Milroe and his team stood in early September.

BetAlabama.com – your source for Alabama sportsbook promos - compared Milroe to other Alabama quarterbacks who have won national title since the College Football Playoff went into effect in 2015.

Alabama QBs Who Won CFB Playoffs

YearQuarterbackComp. Pct.YardsTDInt
2023Jalen Milroe65.22070166
2020Mac Jones77.44500414
2017Jalen Hurts60.42081171
2015Jake Coker66.93110218

 

What’s Ahead for Crimson Tide

Milroe is right there with any of the quarterbacks on the chart above in statistics, but he still has work to do, especially in yards and interceptions thrown. He will get his chances.

Alabama has at least three games remaining, starting with Chattanooga. The Tide then travel to state rival Auburn in the annual Iron Bowl Nov. 25 followed by the SEC Championship game against rival and back-to-back national champion Georgia on Dec. 2.

DraftKings Future Markets

Earlier this season, BetAlabama.com examined whether Alabama could win the title when ranked No. 11. As of Thursday morning, DraftKings has Alabama (+650) as the third favorite to win the national championship, behind favorite Michigan (+215) and Georgia (+255). To make the College Football Playoff, Alabama is -195 at No and +160 at Yes.

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Author

Lou Monaco

Lou Monaco is a contributing reporter for BetAlabama.com. Lou had been East Coast Scene columnist for Gaming Today in Las Vegas since June 2019, covering the East Coast sportsbook scene with emphasis on NJ and PA. He also currently is a part-time writer for the high school sports department for NJ Advanced Media (NJ.com) in Iselin, NJ. Lou has over 30 years sports experience with previous stints at ESPN SportsTicker, Daily Racing Form and Oddschecker.

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