Despite regularly opening up against top-flight competition, Nick Saban's Alabama teams are 11-0 in season openers during his tenure as head coach. The last three seasons alone have featured Week 1 bouts with Wisconsin, USC, and Florida State—but even those squads haven't given the Tide much in the way of early-season challenges.
This year's opener in Orlando brings another Power 5 opponent in Louisville, but Bama's status as a massive 24.5-point favorite suggests that few think the Cardinals can keep things close. Those 24.5 points are the most that the Tide has given in a Week 1 line since it hosted Kent State in 2011 (-39), a game it won (and covered) by a 48-7 score.