College football is finally back in Tuscaloosa. No. 4 Alabama kicks off its season tonight as it hosts Middle Tennessee at 6:30 p.m. CT inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.

The Crimson Tide is currently a 39.5 favorite over the Blue Raiders. Alabama is a perfect 16-0 in openers under Nick Saban and hasn’t lost its first game of the season since 2001 when it suffered a 20-17 defeat to UCLA.

Here’s how TideIlustrated’s staff thinks this year’s opener will play out.

Alabama 45 | Middle Tennessee 3

Alabama should make easy work of Middle Tennessee State in a game that’s a complete overmatch. The Tide will keep things very vanilla on offense and defense to save things for next week's matchup against Texas. Look for a 45-3 win with 300-plus yards on the ground and a decent amount through the air just to get the quarterbacks warmed up.

— Kelly Quinlan, publisher

Alabama 45 | Middle Tennessee 10

Alabama could make this score worse if it wanted to, but this game will be about figuring a few things out while not giving away too much for next week’s matchup. against Texas. Jalen Milroe will get the start, but Tyler Buchner and Ty Simpson should also see some action behind center as well.

While Alabama will likely lean on its rushing attack early, I expect Tide fans to feel some optimism about their team’s passing game at the end of the night. As for Alabama’s defense, Middle Tennessee might hit on a big play or two while the Tide is still getting settled, but I expect a solid showing from Kevin Steele’s unit.

— Tony Tsoukalas, managing editor

Alabama 53 | Middle Tennessee 3

Under first-year offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, Alabama shows some new wrinkles offensively without giving too much away going into their big matchup against Texas.

Defensively, things start to look a lot more like the Alabama of the past, and not the Alabama of the last couple of years. Discipline, open-field tackling, and limited mental mistakes. ”

— Russell Johnson, recruiting editor

Alabama 42 | Middle Tennessee State 7

I believe that Alabama will come out sharp, executing plays that Milroe is comfortable with from the start. On offense, I expect a balanced attack with Milroe distributing the ball, and the running backs gaining big yardage on the ground.

Additionally, I do think Middle Tennessee State will score, but the Crimson Tide defense will play stingy all night, creating turnovers en route to the victory.

— Brandon Howard, recruiting writer

Alabama 45 | Middle Tennessee 0

Bama will be back to being Bama, establishing the run and playing lockdown D. Jalen Milroe and company will establish the running game early while leaning on a monstrous offensive line all game. The defense will dominate the front seven while allowing guys in the secondary to adjust to new roles.

— Jordan Harper, head basketball analyst