No. 11 Alabama is out for revenge on Saturday as the Crimson Tide battles No. 17 Tennessee. The latest installment of the "Third Saturday in October" is a rematch of last season's thrilling showdown between these fierce rivals. The Volunteers snapped a 15-game losing streak in the series with a 52-49 win, prompting the sold out Neyland Stadium crowd to vacate their seats and storm the field.
This time the Crimson Tide have home-field advantage on their side as they seek to push their home winning streak in the series to 10 games and shore up Bryant-Denny Stadium's reputation as one of the most hostile venues in college football. A rare home loss to Texas in Week 2 put Alabama on an uncertain trajectory, but the Crimson Tide have rattled off five straight victories since then to emerge as the last SEC West team still unbeaten in league play.
Tennessee employs a much different philosophy than it did last season. The Volunteers have traded one of the nation's best passing attacks for one of the nation's best rushing attacks under third-year coach Josh Heupel, whose squad has rebounded from a Sept. 16 loss at Florida to win consecutive SEC games over South Carolina and Texas A&M.
How to watch Alabama vs. Tennessee live
Date: Saturday, Oct. 21 | Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Bryant-Denny Stadium -- Tuscaloosa, Alabama
TV: CBS | Live stream: CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (Free)
Streaming on Paramount+ with Showtime (Try It Free)
Alabama vs. Tennessee Need to know
Quarterback downgrade: These teams combined for 1,136 yards and 61 first downs last season, thanks in large part to the play of two elite quarterbacks. Alabama's Bryce Young and Tennessee's Hendon Hooker accounted for 840 yards and seven touchdowns through the air. Barring something completely unexpected, their replacements won't sniff those statistics on Saturday. Alabama's Jalen Milroe has shown the ability to create big plays through the air, but the Crimson Tide's down-to-down passing game remains a disappointment, as evidenced by Milroe's 10 of 21 passing performance in a tight win over Arkansas last week. Tennessee's Joe Milton is also coming off an ugly outing, completing just 11 of 22 passes with a costly second-half interception in a 20-13 win over Texas A&M.
Pressuring the quarterbacks: Further discouraging these teams from throwing the football is the fact that each defense is among the nation's best at sacking opposing quarterbacks. The Volunteers rank third nationally with four sacks per game while the Crimson Tide rank fourth posting an average of 3.7 per contest. Junior linebacker Dallas Turner leads Alabama with seven sacks, which helped earn a spot on the 2023 CBS Sports Midseason All-America team. Sophomore defensive lineman James Pearce Jr. leads Tennessee with six sacks while senior defensive lineman Tyler Baron has racked up five.
The little things: Last season's meeting came down to a special teams play when Chase McGrath's 40-yard field goal barely fluttered over the cross bar as time expired to lift Tennessee to victory. Both teams have shown glimpses of special teams brilliance in 2023. Alabama has particularly shined in the kicking game. With a 13 for 13 mark on field goals, Alabama's Will Reichard earned a spot on the CBS Sports Midseason All-America team. Crimson Tide punter James Burnip also ranks third nationally in yards per punt at 48.9. Tennessee counters with dangerous returner Dee Williams. He gave the Volunteers their first lead of the game last week against Texas A&M with a 39-yard punt return for a touchdown. Just a few plays prior he downed a Jackson Ross punt on Texas A&M's 1-yard line. Williams led the SEC last season with an average of 18.7 yards per punt return.
Alabama vs. Tennessee prediction, picks
Odds via SportsLine consensus
These teams both struggle throwing the football, and both defenses are excellent at racking up sacks and living in the backfield. That means life will be even harder than normal on a pair of quarterbacks who aren't great in the first place. Alabama should be amped up for revenge after Tennessee won a classic at Neyland Stadium last season. With home-field advantage on their side, look for the Crimson Tide to squeak out a close win without covering the spread. Pick: Tennessee +8.5
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