Alabama vs. Tennessee Preview

Photo Credit: Andrew Ferguson/Tennessee Athletics

Tennessee plays No. 1 Alabama at 3:30 on Saturday. The SEC Nation crew will be broadcasting live from Knoxville prior to the game, so fans should be energized ahead of the game. The rivalry called "The Third Saturday in October" is not always on the correct date, but this year it is actually on the third Saturday in October. Alabama leads the all-time series 55-38-7. The Vols have lost 11 straight to the Crimson Tide, with their last win coming in 2006, a 16-13 victory. In 2016, Tennessee defeated Florida in Neyland Stadium to snap an 11-game losing streak to the Gators. They will look to do the same against Alabama on Saturday.

Alabama is averaging 53.6 PPG, while allowing just 15.1 per game. They have recorded 567 yards per game and give up 315 yards per game. Crimson Tide quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa has completed 71.5% of his passes this season, for 1,760 yards and 21 touchdowns. Additionally, he has yet to thrown an interception this year, while completing passes of 50 yards or more to 6 different receivers. Running back Najee Harris has 439 rushing yards on 49 carries this season, while Damien Harris had 423 yards on 65 carries. They each have 4 touchdowns. Jerry Jeudy leads Alabama in receiving, with 26 receptions for 705 yards and 9 touchdowns. Defensively, Deionte Thompson leads Alabama with 40 tackles on the season.

Tennessee has a tough task on their hands today, but I expect them to play with the same energy that they had at Auburn last week. While I am not expecting the Vols to pull off what would be a huge upset, I do think that it will be a much closer game than anyone expects. I have a gut feeling that Tennessee will hang around for some of the third quarter, before Alabama pulls away.

Preston's Pick: Alabama 40 Tennessee 21

Alex’s Pick: Alabama 44  Tennessee 17