Alabama's QB battle: What the odds say heading into fall camp

There's a quarterback battle brewing in Tuscaloosa. It's been a few years since an unsettled quarterback situation clouded Alabama.

Whoever steps in under center has a massive hole to fill with the departure of Bryce Young to the NFL. After shaky quarterback play in the early 2010s, the Crimson Tide have turned into a quarterback factory. Their last four starters - Jalen Hurts, Tua Tagovailoa, Mac Jones, and Young - are all NFL starting quarterbacks.

But now, with fall camp starting Wednesday, it's a close three-way competition between Jalen Milroe, Ty Simpson, and Tyler Buchner.

"I don't think anybody has actually separated themselves yet to this point, and I don't think it's something that we're trying to rush," coach Nick Saban said at SEC Media Day last week.

Alabama's Week 1 starter odds

Odds via theScore Bet

Milroe appeared to be Young's successor a year ago. He played meaningful snaps in two games across eight appearances backing up Young last season. But although Milroe threw one touchdown and rushed for another against Arkansas, the redshirt freshman threw three touchdowns and three interceptions during a rocky performance versus Texas A&M in his first career start.

Simpson, a redshirt freshman, was a true freshman last year. He appeared in just three games.

If the spring game in April was a chance to ease Alabama fans' concerns about Young's replacement, it did the exact opposite.

Neither Milroe nor Simpson shined. Milroe recorded three touchdowns but completed just 19-of-37 passes and threw two picks. Simpson was 12-of-26 and had no touchdowns and one turnover.

Following that intra-team showcase, Notre Dame's Tyler Buchner transferred to Alabama. Buchner suffered a shoulder injury in Week 2 during his sophomore campaign last year, but he returned for Notre Dame's bowl game against South Carolina to throw three touchdowns and three interceptions in a win.

Reunited with Tommy Rees, Notre Dame's offensive coordinator who left for the same job at Alabama, many assumed Buchner's transfer meant he was the favorite to land the Crimson Tide's starting job. But the odds say otherwise.

Buchner slightly trails Simpson, which is puzzling given Simpson struggled mightily in the spring game and is the biggest mystery of the three passers. Milroe, meanwhile, may have dropped to third string according to the odds. However, anyone would be foolish to question Saban's decision.

It's not unusual for Saban to keep multiple worthy starters around. Jones, Hurts, and Tagovailoa all shared a quarterback room in 2018. And, as everyone famously remembers, Tagovailoa served as Hurts' backup before he replaced him in the 2018 National Championship.

Whoever earns the starting job in Week 1 shouldn't get comfortable. We might see a rotating cast of quarterbacks early in the season before Saban truly feels he's found his guy. He better hope his initial decision is the right one, though, as Alabama hosts a talented Texas team in Week 2.

Sam Oshtry is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on Twitter @soshtry for more betting coverage.