Tennessee vs. Alabama 2023 College Football Week 8 Odds, Preview & Pick

By Hank Blaine • October 16, 2023

Very important game in the SEC on Saturday afternoon between No. 17 Tennessee and No. 11 Alabama as the Vols can’t afford a second conference loss and hope to reach the SEC title game, while the Tide can’t afford a second overall loss and hope to reach the College Football Playoff.

Tennessee Volunteers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide Game Information

a thing of BEAUTY.@officiallly13 https://t.co/Zei5SsjQBD pic.twitter.com/00cbKByjhr
— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) October 14, 2023

When: Saturday, October 21, 2023, 3:30 PM ET
Where: Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, AL
TV: CBS
Radio: WIVK 107.7 FM (Tennessee) // Tide 100.9 FM (Alabama)
Live Stream: CBS Sports
College Football Odds: Tennessee (+9) // Alabama (-9)

Why Bet on the Tennessee Volunteers?

The only loss thus far for No. 17 Tennessee (5-1) was at Florida on Sept. 16. If the Vols can win here and beat visiting Georgia on Nov. 11, they absolutely can win the SEC East. UT is known for offense, but largely won with defense on Saturday, 20-13 over Texas A&M.

Tennessee’s Dee Williams downed a punt on the 1-yard-line and returned the ensuing Texas A&M punt 39 yards for a touchdown to help lift the Vols. Williams’ special team plays enabled the Big Orange to grab its first lead of the game with 6:47 to go in the third quarter, 14-10. A pair of fourth-quarter Charles Campbell field goals gave the home team enough points to hold off an A&M offense that was limited to three points over the final 30 minutes by the Vol defense.

Defensive backs Gabe Jeudy-Lally and Kamal Hadden came up with key interceptions to thwart Texas A&M drives in the fourth quarter. The Big Orange logged a season-best 11 quarterback hurries, their highest total since tallying 13 on Sept. 24, 2022 vs. Florida. Defensive lineman James Pearce Jr. collected a career-best five quarterback hurries by himself.

Tennessee rushed for 232 yards against an A&M defensive unit that was allowing only 84.0 per game. Running back Jaylen Wright led all ball carriers with a season-high 136 yards on 19 carries, averaging 7.2 per attempt. It marked his fourth 100-yard effort this season.

It was the sixth time in the last 20 seasons, Tennessee has rushed for 230-plus yards and allowed 55 or fewer in the same game. Of those six, four have come under Josh Heupel. Prior to his arrival, the Volunteers went 11 straight seasons (2010-20) without achieving that feat in any game. The other two instances came in 2009 and 2005.

UT has now won four consecutive games decided by seven points or fewer, after being 1-3 in the prior four such contests. The Volunteers have won 31 consecutive games when conceding 14 or fewer points and own a 13-0 such mark under Heupel. In addition, they have won 20 games in a row when allowing 25 or fewer points, posting a 19-0 ledger in Heupel’s tenure.

Why Bet on the Alabama Crimson Tide?

No. 11 Alabama (6-1) escaped Saturday against unranked Arkansas, 24-21. Jalen Milroe completed 10 of his 21 passes for 238 yards through the air (23.8 yards per pass) and a pair of touchdowns. It was the fourth time in his six starts this season that he has thrown for at least 220 yards and at least two touchdowns. Both Kobe Prentice (2 receptions, 93 yards) and Jermaine Burton (2 receptions, 60 yards) had touchdown receptions in the contest.

Overall, it was a balanced offensive attack, as the Tide’s 415 yards of total offense included 177 yards on the ground. Running back Jase McClellan led the ground attack with 83 yards on 16 carries (5.2 yards per carry) while Roydell Wiliams added 68 yards on seven rushing attempts (9.7 ypc). The Crimson Tide defense limited the Razorbacks to 250 yards of total offense.

Crimson Tide place kicker Will Reichard broke the SEC all-time career points record by accumulating his 481st point of his career Reichard finished the contest with six points (three PATs, one FG) and now has 485 career points which ranks seventh on the NCAA all-time scoring list. He also made 26 consecutive field goals dating back to his make against Mississippi State on Oct. 22 of last season. It was the 200th career victory at Bama for Nick Saban.

Alabama leads the all-time series with Tennessee 59-39-7, but the Vols snapped a 15-game skid to the Tide last year with a 52-49 thrilling victory. Chase McGrath made a 40-yard field goal as time expired. Hendon Hooker drove the Vols 45 yards in 13 seconds to set up the winner. An 18-yard pass to Ramel Keyton and 27-yard hookup with Bru McCoy set the stage for the kick. Jalin Hyatt caught six passes for 207 yards, setting a Tennessee record with five touchdowns. He’s in the NFL now, as is Hooker.

Alabama and Tennessee have played every season since 1928, aside from 1943, when both canceled their seasons because of World War II. They are scheduled to play again in 2024, but the future of the annual “Third Saturday in October” game is uncertain for 2025 and beyond because the SEC added Oklahoma and Texas.

Tennessee vs. Alabama Betting Trends

Tennessee is 6-2 ATS in the last 8 games.
Volunteers are 7-1 SU in its last 8 games.
The total went under in 4 of Tennessee’s last 5 games.
Alabama is 14-6 ATS in the last 20 games played in October.
Crimson Tide are 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
The total went over in 6 of Alabama’s last 9 game

Tennessee vs. Alabama Expert Betting Predictions

Alabama takes the win.

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