Prediction, Game Preview, and Betting Lines for Alabama vs. Tennessee

Which team is for real? Is the loser really out of the running for the College Football Playoff?

Alabama has been very, very unstable. In the win over South Carolina, they had to cling on for dear life after a terrible loss to Vanderbilt.

Things are not going to get any easier with road games at LSU and Oklahoma coming up, plus Missouri and Auburn coming to Tuscaloosa in a row.

Tennessee has been really, really bad. They almost beat Florida, but they lost to Arkansas in a fight. The road is much easier than Alabama’s, even though they have to go to Georgia on the road. If they lose here, though, there will be problems.

Alabama vs Tennessee Preview

Alabama vs Tennessee How to Watch
Date: Saturday, October 19, 2024
Game Time: 4:15 pm ET
Venue: Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, TN
How to Watch: ABC
Tennessee (5-1), Alabama (5-1)

Why Alabama Will Win

It is still legal to do that.

Because of all the yelling, crying, and gnashing of teeth. Alabama’s attack is still great.

It may be stopping too much—it seemed to punch itself out in the first half of the Georgia game—and the running game is not being used enough, but this is still a strong attack that can score quickly.

Also, Jalen Milroe does deserve to be in the running for the Heisman. He has been great, averaging over 11 yards per throw and scoring 12 touchdowns while only picking off two. In just six games, he has also scored 11 scores on the ground.

The Tennessee O, on the other hand, ran into trouble.

Sure, it was great against Kent State and Chattanooga, and it even destroyed NC State’s defense, which was just okay. It has had trouble throwing the ball over the last three weeks, though, as it has not thrown for 200 yards in SEC games. The blast is no longer there.

Why Tennessee Will Win

That is right, Alabama is not quite right.

It is okay to do that again. It is not always the same, and when it comes to the running game, there are times when it is almost criminally negligent, but that is not the point.

The Alabama defense can not get off the field anymore.

Anyone who watched the Georgia game will remember the end, but it has not been a full-on meltdown. Vanderbilt and Diego Pavia were successful 67% of the time on third down, while South Carolina only made 50% of their attempts.

Tennessee has the second-best defense in the country when it comes to stopping third downs. The backfield plays keep coming in.

Even though the defense has not been as strong as it was at the beginning of the season, it is still doing a great job of stopping points.

The Vols have not let anyone score 20 points yet, though…

Alabama vs Tennessee: Who Will Win

It is not like Tennessee’s secondary and pass defense have been blown out, but there is a problem.

Arkansas’ Taylen Green threw for 279 yards, and Florida’s Graham Mertz and DJ Lagway threw for 223 yards and a score, giving the Vols their first one-two pass game of the year.

Alabama may be having a hard time, but it can still blow away. Milroe will be great in a fun game that will not be overshadowed by anything else in the SEC, not even that fight in Austin. The Tennessee offense will get going again.