Peach Bowl 2016: Updated Odds and Comments for Washington vs. Alabama

With the 2016 Peach Bowl just over two weeks away, Alabama and Washington continue to prepare for a national semifinal that looks primed to become a close matchup.

The circumstances leading up to this College Football Playoff showdown are a bit different for each team, as some future coaching changes may alter the dynamic of this matchup. This could be crucial, as the contrasting styles of these teams make sound game-planning even more important.

With that in mind, let us take a look at the latest odds for the Peach Bowl, which are courtesy of OddsShark.com. Also, here is what each side is saying as the big game rolls closer.

Matchup	Date	Spread	Over/Under
Alabama vs. Washington	Saturday, Dec. 31	Alabama -15	54

After helping Alabama to a championship last season and guiding the offense to 40.5 points per game, good for 13th nationally, Lane Kiffin decided to accept an offer this week to become Florida Atlantic's next head coach. He will remain with the Crimson Tide for the remainder of this playoff run, but how will the extra duties of jump-starting a new program affect his preparation for the Peach Bowl?

Kiffin said at his introductory press conference at Florida Atlantic Tuesday that he wanted to stay with Alabama to help reward the Crimson Tide players with another national title, per ESPN.com.

"It was very important to go finish what we started there and in credit to those players that are there and how hard they have worked throughout the process to get to this point to be in the final four," Kiffin told reporters. "It's time to go finish that."

However, Kiffin did not rule out going after current Alabama assistants, per ESPN's Brett McMurphy:

Will Kiffin taking a new job and possibly talking with assistant coaches cause any sort of distractions at Alabama? That could prove to be detrimental if true, as Washington boasts a phenomenal defense that is tied for eighth nationally in scoring defense at 17.2 points allowed per game and leads the country with 33 forced turnovers.

The turnover battle could be a problem for an Alabama team that ranks 36th nationally in turnover margin at plus-five and will follow a quarterback in Jalen Hurts who will be the first true freshman to start in the CFP.

The Texas native played solid throughout the season, throwing for 2,592 yards and 22 touchdowns while rushing for 841 yards and 12 scores, but interceptions have been a problem at times. Hurts has nine on the season, and he threw at least one pick in six of his last eight contests. Yet, his teammates still rave about the poise he showed all season.

"I've never seen a guy that young with that much poise and that much confidence in us, and we have all the confidence in the world in him," Alabama left tackle Cam Robinson said, per SEC Country's Marq Burnett. "Great player, man. Even better person. Love him."

Hurts relayed that sentiment by saying in his first media availability session that being relaxed is just his personality, per AL.com:

Going up against a top coach like Chris Petersen, who will have had a month to prepare for the Crimson Tide, will add to Hurts' challenge. Petersen is plenty experienced at playing in major bowl games from his time at Boise State, but he heaped plenty of praise on Alabama, per Christian Caple of the Tacoma News Tribune and 247Sports' Charlie Potter:

The greatest challenge for Washington will be generating any consistent offense against a phenomenal Alabama defense. The unit did not allow a touchdown for the entire month of November, and it leads the country in scoring defense at 11.8 points per game, total defense at 247.8 yards per game and rushing defense at 63.4 yards per outing. 

Washington does play a spread style that could give Alabama some issues, as the Crimson Tide have not played a quarterback as talented as Jake Browning since Mississippi's Chad Kelly in Week 3, and he led the Rebels to 43 points scored in a close loss. 

Browning can push the ball downfield and challenge Alabama's secondary. He threw for 3,280 yards and 42 touchdowns this season, and he will have arguably the best offensive player on either side of the ball in receiver John Ross, who used his blazing speed to catch 76 passes for 1,122 yards and 17 scores on the year.

Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban acknowledged the threat Browning poses to his defense, echoing that he is potentially the best signal-caller Alabama will play all season, per ESPN.com's Edward Aschoff:

"

[Browning is] a quarterback who really understands his offense very well, executes it very well, gets the ball out of his hand quickly, knows when to throw the (run-pass option) and when to hand the ball off, and can make plays down the field, as well, and is athletic enough to scramble, extend plays and make plays with his feet. This is probably as good an all-around player at that position that we've played against all year long.

"

The Crimson Tide secondary is already down star safety Eddie Jackson, and Browning and Ross have the potential to find some success through the air. Alabama was already upset once as the No. 1 playoff seed, and Saban noted that he and his staff adjusted the team's preparation to avoid another loss, per AL.com's Rainer Sabin:

"

I think we had a... tired team going into the game against Ohio State. I think last year we did a little better job of giving the players an adequate amount of time off and not practicing too much before that game and played well against Michigan State and then you really have to manage the next week, if you have the opportunity to get to it, a little bit differently.

"

Alabama is the clear favorite to win the Peach Bowl, but the spread is moving in Washington's favor a bit after the Huskies opened as 17-point underdogs. The Crimson Tide have a championship pedigree and a stronger team on paper, but they could be in for a tight game on New Year's Eve.

Ultimately, Alabama's strength and physical play up front will wear down Washington, allowing the Crimson Tide to win on a late score. Yet, with Browning and Ross making plays, expect some fireworks throughout the late afternoon.

Statistics are courtesy of NCAA.com.