Alabama Game Saturday: Crimson Tide vs Tennessee odds and prediction for NCAA week 8 game

The Alabama Crimson Tide returns home to Bryant-Denny Saturday, hosting an old rival; the Tennessee Vols. By Saturday the interval since the last Vols win in the series will be 5,481 days. The last Tennessee win in 2006 was the tenth in a run of 12 games when the Vols dominated Alabama. Nick Saban put an end to the Vols superiority quickly and the Crimson Tide has now beaten the Vols in 14 consecutive games.

Tennessee is coming off an embarrassing loss to Ole Miss in Knoxville. The embarrassment came not from how the football team played but from the late-game behavior of some Vols fans. Discussing what happened in Neyland Stadium, we described those Vols fans as classless. Some Alabama fans believe that ‘c’ word applies to the entire Tennessee football program.

Talking about Saturday night, rockytalk.com said,

"The reality is, Tennessee football—as a program—has an image problem.The uprising against the Greg Schiano hire, followed by Jeremy Pruitt’s less than graceful exit, have tainted Tennessee’s standing in the coaching market. The reputation is one of a pressure cooker job, where the fanbase will turn on you at the slightest disappointment."

More disappointment lies ahead Saturday in Tuscaloosa. Before the mess Saturday night, a significant number of the Vols’ ticket allotment had been returned to Tuscaloosa. Some Tennessee fans with tickets are probably now trying to dump them. All of that is a shame. There is nothing quite like seeing every other season, the vision of orange-clad fans streaming out of Bryant-Denny in the third quarter.

Alabama vs. Tennessee Odds

According to WynnBET, the Crimson Tide is a 27-point favorite. The game’s over-under is set at 67.5 points.

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Alabama vs. Tennessee Game Prediction

Tennessee is 4-3 on the season and 2-2 in SEC play. Their not impressive wins list is Bowling Green, Tennessee Tech, Missouri and South Carolina. Those four teams have won a combined 11 games. Tennessee losses have come against Pitt, Florida ad Ole Miss. The Vols lost to a good Pitt team by seven points, before Josh Heupel had realized who was his best quarterback. Ole Miss beat Tennessee by five, 31-26 Saturday night.

That best QB, Virginia Tech transfer, Hendon Hooker was injured against Ole Miss. His status against Alabama is not known.

Under Heupel, the Vols try to play at warp speed. The former UCF coach has made the team better, but that is a low bar of accomplishment.

The early week prediction is, the Alabama team seen Saturday night in Starkville, is the Crimson Tide for the rest of the season. Alabama wins over Tennessee and covers the betting spread.

Though it might be tempting to sneer at visiting Tennessee fans, Tide fans in Bryant-Denny can model for the visitors, the opposite of being classless.