ESPN’s FPI predicts winner of Third Saturday in October between Alabama and Tennessee
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The middle of this month means one thing in the states of Alabama and Tennessee: The Third Saturday in October.
The Crimson Tide and Volunteers will clash for the 108th time on Saturday in Knoxville, with the former owning a 60-40-7 all-time advantage in the series.
And with both sides entering this contest with one loss on the season, this is being treated not necessarily as a College Football Playoff eliminator, but more so a prove-it game for each squad. Alabama would like to bounce back from a hard-fought loss to Georgia and prove that defeat will be just a blip on its radar, while Tennessee needs a high-caliber win like this one to bolster its own playoff résumé.
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Ahead of this weekend’s games, ESPN’s Football Power Index updated its predictions, and the metric views the visitors as a sizable favorite. The FPI gives the Tide a 71.2% chance to move to 6-1 on the season, despite most betting lines being closer to even.
Of course, given the fact that Alabama’s wins over Kentucky, Mississippi State and South Carolina are far stronger than Tennessee’s victories over the likes of Georgia Tech, Auburn and Arkansas, it makes sense as to why the FPI would side with the Tide. Factoring in UT’s cloudy quarterback situation adds to the reasons behind Bama’s perceived advantage.
The Crimson Tide and Vols will kick off at 3:30 ET, with the game being broadcast by ESPN.
Parker is currently the sports editor for Gulf Coast Media in Foley, Alabama. He's a graduate from Mizzou who has experience covering the Tiger football and basketball beats for SB Nation, and he's worked for a variety of sports news outlets in the past.
