Is it time again to bet the Crimson Tide? Brent Musburger breaks down the opening weekend.

The wise men who form the College Football Playoff selection committee snubbed both the Big Ten and the Pac-12 last December when they named Alabama and Georgia of the SEC to the final four.

They were proven correct when the Tide and the ’Dawgs battled their way into the title game and gave us a night to remember. Alabama needed a quarterback off the bench — Tua Tagovailoa — to rally the Tide to a non-covering, 26-23 win.

Alabama figures to be back in the title mix again, but protect your wallet. Nick Saban was 13-1 straight up last season but only 5-8 ATS. He opens the season Saturday, Sept. 1, against Louisville at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, and the spread is already 24.5 points.

It was last September when Alabama covered a line of 7.5 by winning 24-7 over Florida State. That was the game in which the Tide knocked out the ’Noles quarterback Deondre Francois.

Bama then failed in spectacular fashion to cover a 42-point spread against Fresno State and a 29.5 point number against Colorado State. Both those games were in Tuscaloosa, and Saban was experimenting with his personnel.

Bobby Petrino and Louisville were hit hard by exiting seniors and players turning pro. Obviously the Cardinals’ biggest loss was 2016 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Lamar Jackson.

If Saban holds true to form, he could easily win this opener by four touchdowns, but beware the rest of his non-conference schedule, which includes Arkansas State, Louisiana Lafayette and The Citadel.

So when the committee decides to select two teams from any conference, it might want to take a peek at the non-conference schedule, especially in the Cupcake City of the SEC.

Take Georgia, for example. The Bulldogs’ non-conference slate includes Austin Peay, Middle Tennessee State, UMass and the annual rivalry game with Georgia Tech.

Now let’s go to the team most overlooked by the committee a year ago — the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Because you play nine conference games in the Big Ten, their three-game non-conference schedule includes Oregon State, TCU at Jerry World and Tulane.

Not exactly gangbusters, but a little trickier than what Alabama faces. It says here that the Big Ten will not be snubbed two years in a row.

As far as the committee is concerned, the most important game of opening weekend is also Saturday, Sept. 1, when Washington and Auburn meet in Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Not only does the winner take dead aim at a spot in the final four, but this game could decide whether the Pac-12 is going to be taken seriously this year.

Chris Petersen is one of the elites and may be the best coach outside Tuscaloosa and Columbus. In his fifth year at Washington, he has 16 returning starters, including quarterback Jake Browning.

If Coach Pete discovers a couple of competent receivers, this team will find itself in the national-championship mix.

Because that opening game is in Atlanta, Auburn is a three-point favorite and will have the crowd solidly on its side. But the Tigers defense will be looking at a pair of tackle titans — Trey Adams (6-foot-8) and Kaleb McGary (6-foot-7) – who are both NFL prospects.

Petersen’s No. 1 recruit is Marquis Spiker, a wide receiver out of California. If Spiker can deliver immediately on his promise, the Tigers will have their hands full with Browning and the Huskies.

Against Auburn’s offense, the Huskies must deal with returning quarterback Jarrett Stidham, whose offensive line was decimated by graduations and NFL defections. During the second half of Auburn’s 2017 season, four seniors were starting on that line.

So when Stidham hands off to talented running back Kam Martin, we will find out immediately if the Tigers have been able to rebuild that offensive line.

Auburn’s season is always defined by its games against Alabama and Georgia, and there is a chance that this team will be overlooking Washington. This is the kind of spot where Petersen earned his reputation when he was the boss at Boise State.

In my opinion, the Pac-12 is much more likely to be snubbed this year, so Washington going into the South and beating Auburn is extremely important for that entire conference.

The highest-rated game of the opening weekend will undoubtedly be Michigan at Notre Dame on Sept. 1. In some quarters the Irish opened as a 6-point favorite, but money showed immediately, and the Wolverines are now favored by 2.

As far as the playoff committee is concerned, the loser of this game is definitely not out of the race for the national championship.

These are the kind of games that obviously delight us as fans, and we need more of them. Especially from the SEC, which needs to strengthen its non-conference schedule.

Yes, even you, Nick Saban, because you can’t always count on the committee.

This story was originally published July 25, 2018 at 1:37 PM.