No. 1 ALABAMA (7-0, 4-0 SEC) at TENNESSEE (3-3, 1-2)
3:30 p.m. EDT at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville
VIDEO & RADIO
CBS & 106.5/97.3/99.3 FM
THE MATCHUP
Master meets pupil as Alabama coach Nick Saban pays a visit to one of his many protégées, Jeremy Pruitt. The two worked together to win a national championship for the Crimson Tide last season, when Alabama beat a floundering Tennessee team coached by Butch Jones 45-7 in Tuscaloosa. Now Jones is an offensive analyst for the Tide who’s poised to make his return to the Neyland Stadium sideline, and former Alabama player and defensive coordinator Pruitt is in charge of the Volunteers. The intriguing side stories are plentiful in this matchup. Perhaps that is what made it desirable to CBS executives who chose the traditional rivalry meeting – which most believe will be a blowout this year – as its game this week. Alabama might have its best offense of the Saban era. Tennessee’s passing game looked beautiful in an upset of Auburn last week, but the Vols will need a vastly improved running game if they hope to stay close late into the second half.
ONE TO WATCH
Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is enjoying one of the greatest seasons by a college football quarterback in the game’s history. The sophomore has completed 88 of 123 passes (71.54 percent) with 21 touchdowns and no interceptions, and that’s with backup Jalen Hurts – the former starter – getting regular playing time as the Tide dismantle opponents. Tagovailoa played extensively against Tennessee last season and threw an interception, something he has done just twice in college. Tennessee linebacker Daniel Bituli turned it into a pick-6 for the Vols’ only touchdown of the game. A similar miscue by Tagovailoa early in this game might inject some life into the home crowd, but nothing the left-hander has shown this season suggests he’ll suddenly start making mistakes now. However, if there’s anyone who knows how to scheme against Alabama, it’s Pruitt.
IN THE END
Tennessee fans will be wielding orange-and-white shakers in an effort to raise money and awareness for the work of the Pat Summitt Clinic. And with a fall crispness in the air, the atmosphere inside Neyland should be charged for a while. Television viewers will get a heavy dose of the auxiliary storylines of Pruitt facing Saban and Jones returning to Knoxville. Ultimately, Alabama will be too dominant for Tennessee to give the Tide a close game. The Vols proved they are improving with last week’s win at Auburn, which was ranked at the time. This week, merely staying within two touchdowns might be a victory. Saban will improve to 15-0 against his former coaches, and the Vols will regroup to make a late-season push for bowl eligibility.
PREDICTION
Alabama 45, Tennessee 16