Alabama Crimson Tide vs Tennessee Volunteers Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 10/17/2026

Game Time: 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, October 17, 2026

Venue:  Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, TN

Where to Watch:  ABC

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Alabama -8.5, Tennessee +8.5; Over/Under:  53.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Alabama -8.5, Tennessee +8.5; Over/Under:  53.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Alabama -8.5, Tennessee +8.5; Over/Under:  53.5 points

Alabama Crimson Tide:  5-1 (3-1) (2nd place, SEC)

Tennessee Volunteers:  5-1 (2-1) (5th place, SEC)

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Alabama Crimson Tide:  lost their last game at home against the Georgia Bulldogs 20-17.

Tennessee Volunteers:  won their last game on the road against the Arkansas Razorbacks 24-17.

Alabama is entering this game with a 5-1 record overall and they have a 3-1 record in their conference games too. They are 3-1 in their home games, 2-0 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They lost their last game against Georgia 20-17. Keelon Russell was the starting QB and he completed 16/30 passes for 185 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 0 interceptions. Trae'shawn Brown led the team in rushing yards with 90. Ryan Coleman-Williams led the receivers with 39 receiving yards on 3 receptions. Caleb Woodson led the defense in that game with 9 tackles while Yhonzae Pierre led the defense in sacks with 1. Bray Hubbard came away with the only interception for them in that one.

 

 

 

Tennessee is entering this game with a 5-1 record overall and they have a 2-1 record in their conference games too. They are 3-1 in their home games, 2-0 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They won their last game against Arkansas 24-17. George MacIntyre was the starting QB and he completed 18/29 passes for 247 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions. DeSean Bishop led the team in rushing yards with 138 and 1 TD. DaSaahn Brame led the receivers with 87 receiving yards on 3 receptions. TJ Metcalf led the defense in that game with 9 tackles while Xavier Gilliam and Tyree Weathersby each led the defense in sacks with 1. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.

The current betting odds have Alabama listed as an 8.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Alabama has looked great in their games this season with their 5-1 record overall and their 3-1 conference record which has them right near the top of the SEC. They have been a great road team too with their 2-0 road record this year. Meanwhile, Tennessee has looked good in their games this season with their 5-1 record overall and their 2-1 conference record which has them in the top half of the SEC. They have looked good on their home field too with their 3-1 home record this season. Tennessee only has 1 loss this season and that loss was a 3 point loss at home against Texas who was the 1st ranked team in the nation at the time, but Tennessee has looked really shaky with 2 young and inexperienced QB's. They have some major issues at that position right now and it almost cost them in their last game. They are coming off a 24-17 win over Arkansas, but Arkansas is the worst team in the SEC this season and Tennessee still almost lost that game, trailing for a lot of it. Their offense hasn't been that convincing in their games and they have already made a change at QB too. Alabama also has 1 loss this season and they are coming off that loss in their last one, but they lost a really tight game to one of the best teams in the nation. They are coming off a 20-17 loss to Georgia who is ranked inside the top 5 and even after that game, Alabama is still a top 10 team in the nation. They had their chances to win that one too, so they will be looking to bounce back here and take their frustrations out on a lesser opponent. Look for Alabama to bounce back and roll over a Tennessee team that just hasn't looked that great. The best way to place a bet here is on Alabama to cover the spread in this game. 

Alabama Tennessee Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, October 17, 2026 (3:30 pm ET start time) is Alabama 45 Tennessee 17.

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Alabama Crimson Tide: 5-1 ATS off an upset loss as a favorite. 5-1 ATS after 1 or more consecutive straight up losses. 9-4 ATS versus good offensive teams - averaging 5.9 yards/play or more. 10-3 UNDER when playing against a top-level team (Win Pct. > 75%). 9-4 UNDER vs. good offensive  teams - scoring 31 or more points/game.

Tennessee Volunteers: 1-10 ATS off a win against a conference rival. 5-10 ATS when playing against a team with a winning record. 2-7 ATS after playing their last game on the road. 21-12 UNDER off 3 or more consecutive unders. 33-23 UNDER as an underdog of 3.5 to 10 points.

Alabama Crimson Tide:  J. Ford (TE) Questionable - Arm. A. Walker (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed.

Tennessee Volunteers:  J. Gordon (RB) Questionable - Leg. B. Brady (LS) Questionable - Undisclosed. W. Moe Jr. (OG) Out - Undisclosed. J. Harmon (LB) Out - Knee.

“We can’t put the game in that situation where the officials come into play. We just got to control the things we can control.” - Kalen DeBoer after his team’s loss against Georgia in their last game. 

“I thought he did a really good job in some of the adverse situations of just playing the next play and pulling the trigger. It was a winning performance by him, ultimately.” - Josh Heupel after his team’s win against Arkansas in their last game. 

WR Coleman-Williams, Ryan

WR Scott, Rico

WR Brooks, Lotzeir

TE Edwards, Kaleb

QB Russell, Keelon

RB Hill, Daniel 

WR Jackson, Radarious

WR Matthews, Mike

WR Staley, Braylon

TE Brame, DaSaahn

QB Brandon, Faizon

RB Bishop, DeSean

Passing: Keelon Russell (1,599)

Rushing: Trae'shawn Brown (301)

Receiving: Ryan Coleman-Williams (415)

Touchdowns: Trae'shawn Brown (5)

Passing: Faizon Brandon (697)

Rushing: DeSean Bishop (678)

Receiving: Mike Matthews (396)

Touchdowns: DeSean Bishop (8)

Coaches:

Alabama Crimson Tide: Kalen DeBoer (3rd season)

Tennessee Volunteers: Josh Heupel (6th season)