Saturday, Oct. 19
3:30 p.m. Eastern, 12:30 p.m. Pacific
ABC
The Third Saturday of October is here. It’s time for one of college football’s richest and most treasured traditions to unfold once again. CBS and its long-term association with the SEC made this game a staple for the network for nearly 30 years. Now ABC gets to air an Alabama at Tennessee game, and we are sure to witness something compelling and interesting in Knoxville.
These two teams are on very similar trajectories. They looked dominant in the first month of the season. They scored some very impressive wins. Then they both lost on the road – Alabama to Vanderbilt and Tennessee to Arkansas. Then they both wobbled in their subsequent games. Alabama crawled past South Carolina by two points in an extremely sloppy ballgame, while Tennessee inched past Florida in overtime. These teams have looked great at times. They have looked mediocre on occasion. They have been flat-out bad in other segments of their season, and the sequencing of their results has been the same. Are these teams going to play at an equal level in Week 8, or are they going to separate from each other, with one side being terrific and the other side serving up a clunker? It seems that every outcome is in play here, which leads bettors to this point: Do you want to take a flier on one team, thinking that the opponent will implode?
Given how weak, fragile, and generally untrustworthy these two teams have been the past two weeks – neither side has covered a spread, and both teams have lost outright in that span – you could look at the offered spreads and maybe go with something like Alabama -11.5 at a fat plus price. Tennessee could crumble, the Tide could win by 18, and you could make off like a bandit. This could just as easily happen the other way around if Alabama plays anywhere close to the level it displayed against Vanderbilt and South Carolina. It’s a really interesting game to bet on.
Alabama Crimson Tide-Tennessee Volunteers Odds
Spread: Alabama -2.5 (-124), Tennessee +2.5 (+102)
Total: 56.5 (Over -110, Under -110)
Underdog moneyline: Tennessee +126
Hear T.J. and Gary’s analysis and whether Tennessee is a live doggie on the “3 Dog Thursday Podcast” by clicking play below,
Bama and Tennessee both on a high wire
In this game, every outcome seems realistic. Bama winning by 25 could happen if Tennessee plays the way it did against Arkansas and Florida. Tennessee winning by 25 could happen if Alabama remains undisciplined and unfocused. If you were to back Bama, your thought process would revolve around Kalen DeBoer and his stellar record in big games. He went 3-0 against Oregon as Washington’s head coach. He went 2-0 in bowl games against Steve Sarkisian and Texas. He beat Kirby Smart and Georgia at Alabama earlier this year. DeBoer in “da big one” is hard to argue against.
However, Tennessee could revert to its September level of form. UT looked great in the first few weeks of the season. Playing at home in front of over 100,000 fans in Neyland Stadium could bring out the best in the Vols, who have problems on offense but who have played solid defense in spite of their overall struggles. Alabama has looked so disjointed recently that the DeBoer factor might not apply here. There are so many ways you can bet this game … but in the end, it feels like a total coin flip. For that reason, waiting for a live in-game bet, probably in the second half, might be the best way to approach Tide-Vols.