Alabama vs Tennessee SEC Week 8 Picks and Odds
Alabama vs Tennessee Betting Preview
WagerTalk Media and GoldSheet Director of Content James Bunting offers his Alabama vs Tennessee SEC Football betting preview for Saturday, October 23 from Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. At the time of posting, the Crimson Tide are a 25-point favorite over the Vols with the total sitting at 68 points.
Stay on top of the latest College Football updates direct from Las Vegas!
Alabama vs Tennessee Predictions
- Alabama Crimson Tide -25 vs Tennessee Volunteers
- Total: 68 Points
- The road team has covered the spread in each of the last three meetings in this series.
- Alabama has won and covered the spread in their last nine SEC home games.
The betting market has been cool on this game for most of the week because of Tennessee’s quarterback situation. There is a significant drop-off from Hendon Hooker to Joe Milton, and bettors were left guessing which one would be playing during most of the week. Now that we know it will be Hooker (we think), the betting market has stabilized around Alabama -25. If Milton was ruled the starter, this point spread would probably be a smidge north of -28. Hooker’s inclusion also affects the total. Hooker’s ability to run Josh Heupel’s high-pace offense likely results in a few more points being scored in this game, compared to the wild card Milton.
Alabama has won and covered its last nine SEC home games, but I’m going to look at the total in this one. Bryce Young played the entire game last week against Mississippi State, and Young threw a touchdown pass when the Tide were up 33 in the fourth quarter. Look, we all know Nick Saban puts the team-first mentality above everything. But if last week’s game was any indication of how Coach Saban plans to approach games where the Tide are up 30+ in the fourth quarter, then we’re going to continue seeing some points in the second half. Now that we’re in Week 8 of the season and Young is squarely in the Heisman picture, style points are going to matter.
On the other side of the field, Coach Heupel knows that as well. During this 14-game losing streak to the Crimson Tide, the Vols have scored 21 points once. That should be a legitimate goal for Tennessee. If the Vols put up 24 against the Tide, Heupel can tout that as their best offensive performance in this series in 17 years. Style points will matter for both teams. Alabama has off next week, so there’s not a huge need to rest players in the fourth quarter or hold anything back in the playbook. Tennessee also has off next week. Assuming Hooker is good-to-go, I think we see points in this one.
✏️ Can we interest you in some morning reading material? The WagerTalk News section is filled with #NFL and college football betting notes and free plays from @davecokin @FinnatWagerTalk @BumpSports and others. Check ’em out!
➡️ https://t.co/eybEuYoZik pic.twitter.com/qCFg488AaC— WagerTalk (@WagerTalk) October 22, 2021
Alabama vs Tennessee Analysis from The GoldSheet
Mike Shula was Alabama’s coach the last time Tennessee beat the Crimson Tide. Assuming Hooker is able to give it a good run, the back door should be open in the second half. We suspect this one might not get embarrassing as Coach Heupel has had the Vols on the improve, now running tempo as his teams at UCF did the past couple of years.
College Football Daily
After a couple of stumbles to start the season, Iowa State is rolling through the Big XII like the Cyclones originally planned. Can they keep the run going against undefeated Oklahoma State? Join Joe Raineri, Dave Cokin, Teddy Covers and Ralph Michaels for College Football Daily as we preview the marquee College Football Week 8 matchups, including Iowa State vs Oklahoma State; Alabama vs Tennessee; Army vs Wake Forest; and TCU vs West Virginia.
WagerTalk Live Odds Screen
WagerTalk’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the College Football Week 8 moneylines, point spreads, first half lines and betting percentages, including this Alabama vs Tennessee showdown, from your desktop or phone.
**************************************************
Looking for more free sports picks and sports betting tips?
- Latest Betting Odds and Public Action: Vegas lines updated in real time, including who the public is betting on.
- Last Minute Handicapping Advice: Check out our extensive library of handicapping tips and advice from professional Vegas handicappers (we also recommend taking the time to look over our sports betting tips video library)
- Want an expert opinion? Check out the latest Free Sports Picks and Best Bets from our team of expert sports handicappers.
Make sure to bookmark all the above!
