The expansion of the College Football Playoff to 12 teams means that an early-season slip-up doesn’t have to be the end of the world, so the stakes will be high on Saturday when the No. 7 Alabama Crimson Tide visit the No. 11 Tennessee Volunteers. Both teams are 5-1 and are very clearly in the CFP hunt, but the loser will have an uphill battle to get back into the fight. Alabama has won 16 of 17 in the head-to-head series, though Tennessee did score a thrilling 52-49 win to end a 15-game losing streak in the “Third Saturday in October” series in Knoxville in 2022.

Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET at Neyland Stadium, where Tennessee’s only loss in the last three seasons was against No. 1 Georgia in 2023. The Crimson Tide are 3-point favorites in the latest Alabama vs. Tennessee odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 57.5. Before making any Tennessee vs. Alabama picks, you need to see the college football predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Since its inception, it has generated a betting profit of well over $2,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college spread football picks, and it is 12-5 on top-rated picks over the past three weeks of this season. Anyone who has followed it has seen strong returns.

Now, the model has dialed in on Tennessee vs. Alabama and just revealed its coveted picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are the college football betting odds for Alabama vs. Tennessee:

• Tennessee vs. Alabama spread: Alabama -3
• Tennessee vs. Alabama over/under: 57.5 points 
• Tennessee vs. Alabama money line: Alabama -154, Tennessee +128
• UT: Tennessee has covered the spread in five of its last seven games
• BAMA: Alabama has covered in nine of its last 11 games in Neyland Stadium
• Tennessee vs. Alabama picks: See picks here
• Tennessee vs. Alabama streaming: FuboTV (Try for free)

Why Tennessee can cover

With blowout wins over Chattanooga and Kent State accompanied by decisive wins over North Carolina State and Oklahoma while both teams were ranked, Tennessee briefly moved into the top four of the AP Top 25 before stumbling at Arkansas two weeks ago. However, the Volunteers were able to rebound and erase a 10-point second-half deficit to grind out a win against Florida in overtime last week.

Dylan Sampson rushed for 112 yards and three touchdowns in the victory and the third-year running back leads the SEC with 15 rushing touchdowns. Josh Heupel will be looking to get Sampson and quarterback Nico Iamaleava going early against an Alabama defense that is allowing 437 yards per game over its last three outings. Tennessee has also covered the spread in five of its last seven games. See who to back at SportsLine.

Why Alabama can cover

Alabama survived an upset bid of its own against South Carolina last week. Jalen Milroe accounted for three total touchdowns in a 27-25 victory where Alabama stood tall late after giving up a late score and failing to recover an onside kick. 

Milroe averaged 10.5 yards per pass attempt in a 34-20 win over Tennessee last season in Tuscaloosa where Alabama covered as 8.5-point favorites. The Crimson Tide have won 16 of 17 against the Volunteers and have covered the spread in six of the last eight games against Tennessee. See who to back at SportsLine.

How to make Tennessee vs. Alabama picks

SportsLine’s model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 58 combined points. It also says one side of the spread hits over 50% of the time. You can see the model’s pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Alabama vs. Tennessee, and which side of the spread hits over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up well over $2,000 on top-rated spread picks since its inception, and find out.