Alabama vs. Tennessee: CFB DFS Picks and Predictions
Week 8 in college football has some of the most important matchups of the season so far. The results of a few of these games will have a huge impact on if a team will make it into the College Football Playoff — including this Alabama vs. Tennessee matchup.
Let’s dive into some of the best CFB DFS picks on PrizePicks for this SEC matchup between Alabama and Tennessee and analyze their impact on this game.
No. 7 Alabama vs. No. 11 Tennessee: How to Watch, Time, Location
Date: Saturday, October 19, 2024
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff
Location: Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Ten,.
TV: ABC/ESPN+
Alabama, coming off an upset road loss to Vanderbilt, almost suffered another defeat to South Carolina last week. The Crimson Tide have things they need to fix if they want to win the National Championship, and they'll have a tough test on the road against Tennessee here.
Tennessee has mirrored Bama the last two weeks. They suffered an upset road loss to Arkansas and then had to go to overtime to win against Florida.
We get two of the best quarterbacks in the country in this matchup, which should create some offensive fire power, great for CFB DFS purposes. For both teams, this game could make or break their College Football Playoff hopes.
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Alabama vs. Tennessee Picks for PrizePicks
Here are three of the top picks for Alabama vs. Tennessee on PrizePicks.
- Alabama QB Jalen Milroe 1.5 Rush+Rec TDs — More (Demon)
- Alabama WR Ryan Williams 26.5 Longest Reception – More
- Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava 198.5 Passing Yards – Less
- Tennessee RB Dylan Sampson 79.5 Rushing Yards – More (Goblin)
Alabama QB Jalen Milroe 1.5 Rush+Rec TDs — More
Alabama took one of the biggest upset losses in college football this year, losing to Vanderbilt as a 21-point favorite, and they’ll need to prove themselves in the second half after almost losing to South Carolina last week.
The defense has been a major reason for these recent struggles, as they’re allowing 33 points per game over their last three contests.
However, the offense has flourished with QB Jalen Milroe under center. He’s been fantastic this season and will be a Heisman Trophy contender, with his 11 passing touchdowns ranking ninth and his 11 rushing touchdowns ranking sixth in the FBS.
This will be an even tougher battle against a Tennessee defense that’s been one of the best, with their 91.3 PFF Defensive Grade being third in the SEC. What gives Milroe the ability to move the ball is he can do it in air and on the ground.
The rushing yards haven’t been there, but the touchdowns have and he has at least two in five of six games this year, showing that he’s prone to run around the end zone.
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Alabama WR Ryan Williams 26.5 Longest Reception — More
Bama WR Ryan Williams has been the talk of college football. At only 17 years old, he’s tenth in the country with 576 receiving yards and has the fifth-most receiving touchdowns with 6. This dude is a monster.
The question college football experts are asking is whether Tennessee can handle its tougher schedule going forward, starting with Alabama.
If you want to analyze a potential stat line for Williams, return to the Arkansas game. The Volunteers couldn’t contain Andrew Armstrong, who went for 132 receiving yards on nine catches, which included a 30-yard reception.
That’s the only top-20 WR (in terms of receiving yards) Tennessee has faced, and the secondary spent most of the day looking at the back of his jersey.
Williams has the same explosive ability and has recorded a 40-yard reception in five of six games this season. Williams will bring his big play ability to what has become a huge game for the Crimson Tide
Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava 198.5 Passing Yards — Less
As opponents see more of this team, they are starting to notice its vulnerabilities. One of those seems to be the offensive line, as their 70.3 Pass Blocking Grade ranks ninth in the SEC, and over the last three games, they’ve allowed ten sacks.
Imagine if Nice Iamaleava weren’t a mobile quarterback. We’re learning that if you can flush him out of the pocket and force him to throw into coverage, you can create turnovers. Florida, Arkansas, and Oklahoma are all top 11 in sacks with at least 14, and Alabama is also coming into this game with 14 sacks.
Alabama also has 75 quarterback hurries, and Iamaleava has a 33.7 passer rating when under pressure. Having less time to throw will significantly impact a young quarterback, who should struggle in this matchup.
Tennessee RB Dylan Sampson 79.5 Rushing Yards — More (Goblin)
The Volunteers have relied heavily on RB Dylan Sampson this season. His 118 rush attempts rank eighth in college football, his 699 rushing yards are also eighth, and his 15 rushing touchdowns are the second-most in the FBS, trailing only Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty.
The Tide haven’t been a great rushing defense in a while and haven’t ranked in the top 30 since 2021. This year, they are 54th in rushing yards allowed per game (129.2) and have given up 3.3 yards per carry.
The problem with Alabama's defense is that it allows long possessions to its opponents. In the last two games, they’ve allowed opponents to convert on 57.5% of their third downs — for perspective, UCLA is last in third-down conversion defense at 57.3%.
Tennessee will look to Sampson to pick up yards in third-and-short situations to set up the run-pass option.
Sampson will also get the carries in the red zone, and Alabama has allowed six rushing touchdowns in six games.
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Get Alabama vs. Tennessee Action on PrizePicks
This is a must-watch game on the college football schedule. Hopefully these picks help you build your CFB DFS Lineup on PrizePicks with players who could make a big impact.
To get real money action on PrizePicks, just pick more or less on two or more players, put them in your Lineup, and win real money during this top 11 matchup. Keep returning to the Playbook for more analysis on NFL DFS.
Follow John Supowitz for more CFB Picks: @ImThatSupi
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