Tennessee at Alabama Football Odds & Picks

Written by Jimmy Boyd on October 23, 2008

Alabama will have to avoid a third straight road loss to Tennessee if it wants to remain unbeaten and in contention for a BCS championship. Odds makers have given the Crimson Tide the edge listing them as 6-point favorites with the total set at 41.

Of all the teams heralded in the SEC prior to the start of the 2008 season, few would have guessed that it would be the Alabama Crimson Tide remaining as the sole unbeaten. Bama is 7-0 on the season and 4-0 in SEC play. They earned the No. 2 spot in the BCS rankings this week just behind No. 1 ranked Texas. Now all the Tide have to do is win out and they’ll be playing for the BCS Title on January 8th in Miami. Easier said than done.

Alabama’s schedule does set up quite nicely though. A trip to No. 11 LSU on November 8th appears to be its only major road block remaining. But with the way Alabama has looked in each of its past two games, head coach Nick Saban knows there is still work to do.

Alabama has not been able to put its opponents away. In three straight games now the Tide have had to hold off second half rallies to hang onto wins. The Tide were up 24-3 at the half against Ole Miss last week, but the Rebels would not go away and scored 17 unanswered points in the second half to make things mighty interesting.

Bama led 31-0 at the half against then-No. 3 Georgia but only won 41-30. A two touchdown halftime advantage was also nearly wiped out by Kentucky a week later. The numbers show the obvious. The tide have outscored their opponents by a ridiculous 171-23 margin in the first half but have been outscored 78-55 in the second. If you think the Tide can put together a whole game to beat Tennessee and cover the number in the process, bet Alabama at -6 at BetUS and receive up to a 50% signup bonus.

Tennessee may be near the bottom of the SEC in scoring, averaging just 19.7 points per game, but the Vols have had good success against the Tide at home, and they will not quit just like the previous three opponents that have taken on Alabama.

It’s been a tough season for Tennessee after enjoying a SEC East title a season ago. This is the type of game that can really change the complexion of a year however.

Alabama leads the all-time series 45-38-7, but the Tide have not won two games in a row against Tennessee since 1991-92. Alabama has also not won in Knoxville since 2002.

Tennessee does catch a big break this week as the 14th ranked Alabama defense will be without talented nose guard Terrence Cody. The 6-foot-5, 365-pound giant is out with a knee injury.

Tennessee will have some nice momentum on its side having routed Mississippi State 34-3 last Saturday. Eric Berry returned an interception 72 yards to the house in the fourth quarter to really put the exclamation mark on the win. Bama will be best suited to stay away from Berry, who has 10 career picks and is the SEC’s career interception return leader with 397 return yards.

It was also a nice balanced offensive attack which did plenty of damage last week. Tennessee ran for 139 yards and passed for 136 more.

Tennessee will also have the revenge factor on its side after getting embarrassed at Alabama last season. If the Vols are going to pull off the upset, they are going to have to slow down QB John Parker Wilson. Wilson was 32 of 46 for a career-high 363 yards and three touchdowns against the Vols last season. If you think the Volunteers have what it takes to pull off the shocker over number two ranked Alabama, bet Tennessee at +6 at BetUS.

Editor’s Note: World Champion Handicapper Jimmy Boyd has his 5* Big Ten Game of the Year and his 5* NCAAF Vegas Line Mistake of the Year going in his Week 9 college football picks package.

Make this the most lucrative NCAA football betting season of your career by letting Jimmy Boyd help you take down the football point spreads each and every week.

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