Giving Away Money Special Edition: Tennessee-Alabama preview and betting guide

Ed. Note: For those that missed this morning’s announcement on the Nick Saban prop bet, I will be on vacation from this morning until Monday.

So this week, in lieu of Giving Away Money, we have teamed up with one of our partners, My Bookie, to bring you a fun prop bet for Alabama fans — will Nick Saban yell at the students again; and this, our special edition Third Saturday betting guide and pick.

I cosign the below in most respects, though I doubt the Vols scrape 13 points out of this defense, even at home and with a temporary week of momentum. Tide covers handily. What that does to your pick on the total really comes down to how badly you think Nick Saban will unleash the dogs on Jeremy Pruitt — and how the banged up Tide can perform for four quarters.

Enjoy and Roll Tide!

Alabama Crimson Tide vs Tennessee Volunteers

Just a couple of weeks ago, the crew on ESPN’s College Gameday were talking about how this season was a little disappointing when compared to seasons past. It appears as though the college football gods must have been tuning in, as Week 7 turned into an absolute nightmare for a bunch of teams in the top 10. The playoff picture now looks dramatically more different than it did a week ago, with a few teams now in serious danger of not just missing out on the playoffs, but also their conference championship games.

One team that probably doesn’t need to worry about such an outcome is the Alabama Crimson Tide, as they are currently setting the bar that everyone else is struggling to reach. They have a stranglehold on the SEC West, although LSU are back in the picture with a win over Georgia last week. Those two will meet soon, but for now, Alabama will look to take care of the Tennessee Volunteers as a 29-point favorite. The point total is set at 59 ½.

When: Saturday, October 20 at 3:30 PM EST

Where: Neyland Stadium, Knoxville

TV: CBS

Why bet on the Alabama Crimson Tide

When you look at the numbers being posted by Tua Tagovailoa, it’s easy to forget that Alabama had a bit of a QB controversy non-controversy at the start of the season. That has all been put to rest now though, with Tua leading the offense to an average of 53 PPG and more often getting the job done before we even reach the end of the first half.

Despite all the offensive power being flashed by Alabama, Nick Saban still made it clear that he was not pleased with his defense after they gave up 31 points to Arkansas in a game that was already out of control. The Tide responded well, holding Missouri to just 10 points last week and preventing Drew Lock from getting anything going for the Tigers.

Alabama has a big spread to cover here, but they are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 trips to Tennessee.

Why bet on the Tennessee Volunteers

This has been a bit of a rough season for the Volunteers, but they finally got something to feel good about last week in a 30-24 win over the Auburn Tigers.

The Vols went into that one as a 15 ½ point underdog, which makes their victory all the more impressive. The feeling was always that the highlights this season were going to be few and far between, with new head coach Jeremy Pruitt still just in the first year of what is likely to be a total rebuild.

The reality is that the Vols have not been a particularly good bet all season long. That bad form extends into last season, with Tennessee going just 3-6 ATS in their last 9. Things are even worse at home, where they are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

While the win against Auburn last week was a good one, it came against a team that is very much heading in the wrong direction. I expect it to be business as usual for Alabama as they win and cover on the road.

Alabama Crimson Tide 48 Tennessee Volunteers 13

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