Alabama vs. Tennessee prediction, pick, odds for Saturday, Oct. 19

• Alabama vs Tennessee Point Spread: Alabama -3 (-110) · Tennessee +3 (-110)
• Alabama vs Tennessee Total: Over/Under 56
• Alabama vs Tennessee Moneyline: Alabama -155 · Tennessee +130

Alabama vs. Tennessee Preview

Alabama Crimson Tide Betting Preview: Pinpointing the Positives

Alabama has played in consecutive one-possession games in the SEC.

The Crimson Tide defense survived a furious comeback from Georgia, only to succumb to the Vanderbilt offense the following week. The struggles continued once more in a Week 7 close call against South Carolina as a three-touchdown favorite.

When sifting through the box scores for answers about the struggles with the Commodores and Gamecocks, there are a number of common themes.

Both Vanderbilt and South Carolina won the time-of-possession battle, each logging more first downs than the Crimson Tide. Both opponents combined to convert third and fourth downs on 21-of-35 attempts.

The Crimson Tide defense allowed 11 passes of at least 15 yards to quarterbacks Diego Pavia and LaNorris Sellers. The ability to stop the explosive pass had been an issue long before Vanderbilt beat Alabama. Georgia and Carson Beck diced up the secondary for nine explosive passes in an attempted comeback.

The frustrations with the defense were visible against Vanderbilt, as captain Malachi Moore had a number of acts that required an apology.

Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack’s 3-3-5 has seen a decline from most defensive backs over those contests, including Moore, but a trio of players have held steady.

Linebackers Deontae Lawson, Jihaad Campbell and slot cornerback DeVonta Smith have been critical in during the past eight quarters of Alabama football.

The Crimson Tide run one of the highest rates of man coverage in the nation at 38%, well above the rate Wommack called in three seasons at South Alabama.

The positive comes with the Alabama offense, as quarterback Jalen Milroe has not created a turnover-worthy play on a deep pass since the start of the 2023 season.

Wide receiver Ryan Williams now leads the team in targets, doubling the number needed to be considered an explosive target at 4.2 yards per route run.

Alabama ranks top-10 in Passing Success Rate and explosives, indicating that DeBoer is ready to get into a haymaker boxing match with any offense in the country.

Tennessee Volunteers Betting Preview: Adjusting After Pili’s Injury

The biggest news from Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel’s weekly press conference was the status of middle linebacker Keenan Pili. The sixth-year senior led the team in tackles and stops while providing one of the highest rush defense grades on the roster but will miss the rest of the season with an ACL injury.

Not only is this a blow to the Tennessee defense from an analytics standpoint, but Pili was the “green dot” helmet communication for defensive coordinator Tim Banks.

Bigger questions remain on the Tennessee offense, as the explosive nature of the passing game has hit a sour spot over the past few weekends.

Quarterback Nico Iamaleava has nearly as many turnover-worthy plays as big-time throws, failing to record a passing touchdown since Week 4 against Oklahoma.

Questions persist as to whether or not the book is out on how to defend Heupel’s wide splits spread attack, as Arkansas defensive coordinator Travis Williams stifled the Volunteers with a 3-3 star scheme.

The Volunteers have fallen outside the top 100 in Passing EPA, a measurement of explosives through the air.

That number falls to 126th in passing downs, a byproduct of Iamaleava’s struggles with pressure. In 178 dropbacks by Tennessee, Iamaleava has seen pressure on 46 passing attempts with only six completions.

The sophomore has failed to record a big-time throw in a crowded pocket, with a massive drop to 35% in adjusted completion rate.

Differing coverages have been an issue for Tennessee as well, with man and Cover 1 giving the Volunteers the most trouble in downfield passing.

Alabama vs Tennessee Pick & Prediction

DeBoer and Heupel are no strangers to each other, each hailing from South Dakota with plenty of respect shared between the two offensive masterminds.

Heupel’s offenses have never been successful against man coverage dating back to his first season in Knoxville. Tennessee has posted a low 44% Success Rate against man with a negative value in expected points.

Not only does Alabama play an extensive amount of man coverage, but Wommack also pivots to a Cover 1 look that has limited Iamaleava to a 27% Success Rate this season. Outside of scheme, Alabama’s linebacker play is crucial for success against Tennessee’s passing game.

The Volunteers’ wide split-spread offense utilizes the entire field from sideline to sideline. This scheme forces opposing outside linebackers to declare coverage assignments pre-snap.

Defenders that lack the skill or size at the outside linebacker position are often burned by Squirrel White and Chas Nimrod out of the slot. However, Alabama fields the fourth- and 15th-ranked individual defenders in man coverage in Campbell and Lawson.

Action Network’s projected spread calls for Alabama -2.5, providing no value in the market with respect to the side.

However, there are many advantages for the Crimson Tide going into this game, from outstanding linebacker play in coverages that trouble Tennessee to a new signal-caller for the Volunteers defense.

Expect the offensive struggles to continue for Tennessee, while the defense could be in for a rude awakening.

The Volunteers managed to face a team without a deep passing threat at quarterback until the Arkansas game. Taylen Green posted 10 passing plays ofat least 15-yards, followed up by another seven from Florida in Week 7.

Expect Milroe’s elite deep passing to find Williams for some explosive scores.

Pick: Alabama -3 or Better · Tennessee Under 27.5 or Better

How to Watch Alabama vs Tennessee Live: Start Time, TV Channel, Location

Alabama vs Tennessee Betting Trends

• 75% of bets and 89% of the money are on Alabama to cover the spread.
• 95% of bets and 98% of the money on the moneyline are on Alabama to win outright.
• 59% of bets and 88% of the money are on the over.

Betting trends via our live, updating NCAAF public betting & money percentages page.