The Alabama Crimson Tide will go up against the Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday afternoon. This SEC matchup will air on CBS at 3:30 pm ET.
Alabama will be the heavy favorite, as it is ranked second in the country. Alabama is 4-0 and is coming off an impressive win against the Georgia Bulldogs. That was the second ranked opponent that the Crimson Tide have beaten, with the other being Texas A&M in the second week of SEC play.
Tennessee had high hopes at the beginning of the season, starting with two wins. Then the Volunteers had to meet Georgia and got beat 44-21. Tennessee fans thought last week could’ve been a win versus Kentucky, but they were routed 34-7.
Alabama Keeps It Rolling
The Crimson Tide are one of the most talented teams in college football, which is nothing new. After a win last week, they are making a case as the top team in the country, right behind Clemson.
Quarterback Mac Jones has been a big part of their success. While Alabama doesn’t have its usual lockdown defense, the offense is clicking. He has thrown for 1,518 yards, 12 touchdowns, and only two interceptions.
Jones’ top target has been Jaylen Waddle. He has 25 receptions for 557 yards and four touchdowns.
Alabama usually has a great running back, and nothing is different this season. Najee Harris is one of the best backs in the country, producing great numbers thus far. He has 499 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Even with coach Nick Saban experiencing a COVID-19 scare, this team hasn’t missed a beat. After Georgia, the Crimson Tide will be expected to win out and make it to the College Football Playoff.
Do the Volunteers Have a Chance?
There can’t be much optimism for Tennessee having a shot in this one. The Volunteers are simply outmatched against Alabama.
If anything, maybe the game against Kentucky last week woke them up. Coming into this matchup, they really could have used a win against the Wildcats.
The Tennessee quarterback is Jarret Guarantano, for now. Rumors have already started on whether he should be benched for the backup.
Guarantano has thrown for 752 yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions. These are very different numbers than his opposing quarterback this week.
Prediction
The Alabama offense is much better than Tennessee’s. The Crimson Tide are averaging 561.3 yards of offense per game this season. On the other hand, Tennessee is only averaging 329.3.
Alabama is favored by 21.5 points. I like Alabama to win and cover the spread. If the Tide can beat Georgia like they did, Tennessee shouldn’t be an issue.
The over/under for the game is set at 65. Alabama can really put up some points, but Tennessee only scored seven against Kentucky last week.
I do expect Tennessee to bounce back a little on offense, since it did score 21 points against Georgia. I like the Crimson Tide to score over 40, possibly close to 50 in this one.
Because of that, I am also leaning toward taking the over.