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SportsLine's model revealed its best bets for Saturday's matchup of the Alabama Crimson Tide and Tennessee Volunteers in the "Third Saturday in October" rivalry

Oct 16, 2026 at 9:08 am ET • 2 min read

The No. 6-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, with the sting of last week's 20-17 home loss to Georgia still fresh, gets another stiff test when they travel to face the No. 14 Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday in another meeting of the "Third Saturday in October" rivalry. No team in the SEC is scoring more than Alabama (5-1, 3-1), which averages over 44 points per game behind the play of sophomore quarterback Keelon Russell. Tennessee (5-1, 2-1) is paced by a punishing rushing attack led by DeSean Bishop, and a defense that ranks No. 1 in the conference. The home team has won the last four matchups in this series. The Vols are expected to start George MacIntyre at quarterback, while opening-week starter Faizon Brandon is listed as questionable on the availability report. Visit our Kalshi promo code review and get a $55 bonus after $25+ in trades with the Kalshi promo code CBSSPORTS55:

Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. The Crimson Tide are 7.5-point favorites, with the over/under at 50.5 in the latest Alabama vs. Tennessee odds. Before making any Tennessee vs. Alabama picks, check out the Alabama vs. Tennessee predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model. 

Alabama vs. Tennessee odds

Alabama vs. Tennessee spread

Alabama -7.5

Alabama vs. Tennessee over/under

50.5 points

Alabama vs. Tennessee money line 

Alabama -315, Tennessee +270

Alabama vs. Tennessee picks

See picks at SportsLine

Alabama vs. Tennessee streaming 

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Top Alabama vs. Tennessee predictions

After simulating Alabama vs. Tennessee 10,000 times, SportsLine model is going Over 51.5 points at betting apps. This is certainly a contrast of styles. The Over has easily hit in five of six Crimson Tide games. In fact, they've been within six points of clearing the number all by themselves. Keelon Russell has been a playmaker with 1,599 yards and 12 TDs through the air. 

On the flip side, Tennessee has leaned on a ground attack as it has dealt with quarterback uncertainty. Bishop has gained 678 yards and eight TDs on the ground for the Vols, who will look to take advantage of stacked boxes to hit some big plays in the passing game.

SportsLine's model is projecting 56 combined points in this one, making the Over the value 62% of the time. See the model's spread and money-line picks at SportsLine.

How to make Alabama vs. Tennessee picks

In addition to going Over on the total, the model also says one side of the spread hits in well over 60% of simulations. You can only get the pick at SportsLine. 

So who wins Tennessee vs. Alabama, and which side of the spread hits well over 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that's on a 48-40 run on top-rated CFB picks, and find out.

Why you should trust SportsLine's model

SportsLine's model simulates every FBS game 10,000 times. It enters Week 7 on a 48-40 run on all top-rated college football picks at betting sites, returning more than $400 for $100 players. Anybody following its picks on college football betting sites could have seen strong returns.