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Tennessee at Alabama Football Predictions & Lines
The Tennessee Volunteers take on the Alabama Crimson Tide this Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa in an SEC showdown on CBS. Last week, the 7-0 Tide took over the No. 1 spot in the AP Poll with a 20-6 win over South Carolina. The 3-3 Volunteers were idle, but they looked good their last time out with a lopsided 45-19 win over Georgia. Bama has had the edge in this matchup recently, winning the last two meetings convincingly, but Tennessee is 5-2-1 straight up and 7-1 against the spread in its last eight games in Tusacaloosa. NCAA football odds makers have listed the Alabama Crimson Tide as a 15-point favorite.
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While Alabama’s offense has struggled in each of its last two games, the defense has picked up the slack and then some. Last week, the Tide sacked South Carolina QB Stephen Garcia five times and Mark Barron picked off a pass and returned it for a touchdown. Moving the ball through the air has been the only hope against the Tide. They held the Gamecocks to just 64 yards rushing last week. They have held six of their seven opponents to 72 or less rushing yards this season.
Quarterback Greg McElroy has not looked like the same player that got off to such a fast start this season. After completing 66 percent of his passes through the first five games, he has only completed 46 percent of his passes the last two weeks. Against South Carolina, he was only 10 of 20 for 92 yards and two interceptions. It will be important that he perform better this week against a Tennessee defense that held Florida in check. He should have his opportunities to make big plays through the air with Tennessee having to respect running back Mark Ingram and the ground game. Ingram rushed for 246 yards and a touchdown last week. It is worth noting that the Crimson Tide are 7-2 against the spread in their last nine conference games. If you like the Tide to run up the score this week, bet Alabama at -15 at BetUS.
Tennessee already gave Florida all it wanted and more, playing the Gators to a 10-point game on the road to easily cover the 30-point spread. Now, it will try to give the new No. 1 a scare. We know what the Volunteers are capable of defensively, but the key to a victory this week will be the ability of the offense to move the football against an extremely talented Bama defense. QB Jonathan Crompton has been up and down, but he was up against Georgia, earning SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors. He completed 20 of 27 passes for 310 yards and four touchdowns in easily the best game of his career. The Vols will likely have to move the ball through the air against a stiff Alabama run defense so it will be up to Crompton to make smart decisions with the football. The last thing Tennessee can afford is a pick-six like South Carolina’s Stephen Garcia gave up last Saturday.
Tennessee’s defense is going to want to shut down Bama’s running game to make the struggling McElroy beat them through the air. Monte Kiffin’s defense is led by safety Eric Berry. Despite the best efforts of offensive coordinators to avoid Berry, he is just too good not to find the football. He is second of the team with 50 tackles and is tied for the team lead with four pass breakups. He hits like a ton of bricks and you can bet he’ll be looking for an opportunity to put the hurt on Alabama wideout Julio Jones. It is worth noting that the Volunteers are 6-0 against the spread in their last six games as a road underdog of 10.5 or more points. If you like the Vols to keep this one within the number, bet Tennessee at +15 at BetUS.
Jimmy Boyd crushed the books with a 5-1 performance on the college gridiron last Saturday. Make sure you consult his expert football picks before making a single move this week!
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