College football odds, lines, schedule for Week 13: Alabama opens as heavy favorite in 2020 Iron Bowl

The No. 1 Crimson Tide are significant early favorites against No. 22 Auburn

By David Cobb

Nov 22, 2020 at 4:55 pm ET • 2 min read

USATSI

The Week 13 college football slate will spread its best action across two days as five ranked teams are scheduled to take the field on Friday of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. In total, the Friday slate is scheduled to feature 12 games, including a huge Big 12 matchup between No. 15 Iowa State and No. 20 Texas. That may not be the most intriguing Friday game, though.

An ACC showdown on Friday night between No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 25 North Carolina carries huge stakes. A loss would eliminate Notre Dame's margin for error in the race for a spot in the College Football Playoff, while a North Carolina would win would mark a signature victory for Mack Brown's second season back with the Tar Heels.

Then comes Saturday which, among other matchups, features the yearly celebration of college football known as the Iron Bowl between No. 1 Alabama and No. 22 Auburn.

It's never too early to take a look at the lines for the weekend ahead, so here are the opening odds for Week 13 via William Hill Sportsbook.

No. 22 Auburn at No. 1 Alabama (-24): Auburn's win over Alabama last season eliminated the Crimson Tide from the playoff picture. The Tigers were just 3.5-point underdogs, though, and face much longer odds this time around against an undefeated Alabama team that would still have a path to the playoff even with a loss.

No. 2 Notre Dame (-4) at No. 25 North Carolina: The Tar Heels rose to No. 5 after a 3-0 start before plummeting from the national picture with two losses in three games against the likes of Florida State and Virginia. But this line reflects the fact that if quarterback Sam Howell gets hot, UNC is absolutely capable of spoiling Notre Dame's unbeaten season.

LSU at No. 5 Texas A&M (-12.5): Texas A&M surely has revenge on the mind after last season's 50-7 loss to LSU. The Aggies won 74-72 in seven overtimes back in 2018, so be prepared for just about anything if you're considering wagering on this one.

No. 15 Iowa State at No. 20 Texas (-2): The Longhorns return to the field for the first time since Nov. 7 with a critical Big 12 meeting against an Iowa State team sitting alone atop the league standings. The Cyclones are riding high after a 45-0 thrashing of Kansas State last week. If Iowa State pulls this one off, Matt Campbell will again become one of the hottest names on the coaching carousel.

No. 14 Oklahoma (-10.5) at West Virginia: The Sooners can still make the Big 12 title game, but getting there will require beating a West Virginia team with one of the league's best defenses. The Mountaineers haven't allowed more than 13 points in their last three games, so the Sooners will need to play like they did in the first half of last week's win over Oklahoma State if they want to cover this spread.