Final score predictions for Alabama vs. Tennessee: Can Josh Heupel break his curse to end a concerning trend for the Vols?
Josh Heupel can change the trajectory of his program this week.
This time last year, the Alabama Crimson Tide fell flat on its face after losing to the Tennessee Volunteers on the road, and the sky began to fall in Tuscaloosa. Fast forward 12 months, and both teams have one loss as they approach the back half of the season, with what feels like a must-win.
Alabama is heavily favored as they entered Saturday as 8.5-point favorites. In terms of historical precedent, under Josh Heupel, the Vols are 0-6 and have lost by 14 or more points in every road game where they were more than a 3-point dog.
Can Heupel and Tennessee reverse the curse? Or will the Tide take care of business at home? Our staff makes their picks.
Alabama 35, Tennessee 30
“I’ll take Alabama to win, but I don’t believe they cover here. For one, there are questions about the health of some key playmakers. Jam Miller is questionable with a concussion, and Ryan Williams barely played against Missouri as he deals with a lingering injury. I think the offense will be fine; it’s the defense that I have questions about.”
“Alabama’s last three games and even Week 1 against FSU featured offenses with heavy rushing attacks. The Vols and Joey Aguilar are going to come out firing, especially with some questions as to who will start in the defensive backfield for Alabama. So I expect a close one, with a lot of scoring.”
– Rob Gregson, A to Z Sports Alabama
Alabama 30, Tennessee 27
“I honestly don’t know what to expect in this game. I think we will learn a lot about both teams. Ultimately, I think Tennessee’s feast or famine approach on defense (they give up a ton of yards, but they get plenty of sacks and tackles for loss, too) will work in Alabama’s favor (due to QB Ty Simpson’s ability to take care of the football). Tennessee will hit some big plays, but they won’t be able to stop Simpson and the Bama offense.” – Zach Ragan, A to Z Sports Tennessee
Alabama 34, Tennessee 28
“We’ll see two high-flying offenses that have been quite hot in recent games in this matchup. The Alabama Crimson Tide are rolling with Ty Simpson continuing to show off NFL-level accuracy and decision-making. He’ll be tested against an opportunistic Tennessee defense that has used turnovers to spur their own recent success.”
“If Tennessee can force a fumble and an interception, Alabama’s advantage in size and ability to create quarterback pressure will be mitigated. But I suspect this game will feel familiar, where the Tide have just a little too much where it matters in terms of girth and toughness, and Tennessee falls short.” – Ian Valentino, A to Z Sports Alabama
Alabama 41, Tennessee 31
“The fireworks will be there early for both passing attacks. Ty Simpson and the Tide won’t be punting much today, but Joey Aguilar and the Vols will have a big first half. The Crimson Tide defense settles in a bit and stalls out the Tennessee offense in the third quarter, and Alabama gets some separation it needs to pull away. Simpson and the Tide enjoy the victory cigars late Saturday night.”
– Craig Smith, A to Z Sports Tennessee
Final Takeaways
Our staff is aligned with Alabama in this one. The home field advantage in a night game is a big advantage for Alabama, especially when considering the aforementioned history of the Vols under Heupel in these games.
We’ll see what happens on the third Saturday in October
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