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With all due respect to Trent Dilfer, a change was desperately needed in Birmingham after a disastrous 9–21 tenure. Alex Mortensen was given the full-time nod after leading the final six games as the interim head coach, and we're looking for improvement from the Blazers in 2026. After spending nine years under Nick Saban at Alabama, Mortensen was held in high regard among a lot of coaching circles. In his first game with the headset after Dilfer's dismissal last year, Mortensen led the Blazers to a nationally-televised upset over then-No. 22 Memphis. Oddsmakers are only asking UAB to match last year's win total of four, and we believe that is a goal the Blazers can reach. Redshirt junior Ryder Burton is expected to get the nod at quarterback, and just like Mortensen, he made his debut against Memphis in the middle of last season. Burton went 20-of-27 for 251 yards and three touchdowns in his first start, showing that he was ready to lead the offense. Burton is already married, which is just one example of a very experienced roster that Mortensen is working with this year. According to RotoWire, UAB has the sixth-oldest roster in the country with an average age of 20.8 years old. UAB opens the season at Illinois, but then has extra time to prepare for win-able non-conference games against Louisiana and UL-Monroe. UAB plays FCS-level Samford after Navy, so that gives the Blazers a comfortable landing spot after a physical game against the Midshipmen. UAB will enjoy a bye at the end of October before finishing with a not-so-daunting closing stretch that includes Charlotte, Temple and a re-loading North Texas squad. UAB's program was in complete disarray last year, but the Blazers still won four games. We believe they can, at the least, match that total in 2026.

They can't set this line high enough. The Sooners are a legitimate top 20 team. Loaded with talent and experience, they're looking to improve on last season's 10 wins. That starts with a blowout of UTEP. Now in the Mountain West, the Miners are in a transitional/rebuilding year. The Sooners won the last two meetings by a combined score of 101-20, an average of 50.5 to 10. The Sooners had an 1168 to 483 edge in yards in those games. With Oklahoma scoring early and often, this has all the makings of another 40+ point blowout. *good up to -42