Football Sports Betting – Alabama vs Tennessee

It’s time to get your weekend Football Sports Betting wagers in, and the best game to bet on comes to us from Rocky Top. That’s where the struggling Alabama Crimson Tide will look to right the ship against Tennessee.

No. 8 Alabama Crimson Tide (6-1 SU, 4-3 ATS) at Tennessee Volunteers (2-4 SU, 2-4 ATS)

Saturday, October 23: 7:00 p.m. ESPN

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Betting Odds:

Alabama: -16 ½
Tennessee: +16 ½

That’s right, despite being 6-1 on the season, Alabama has hardly looked the preseason National Championship favorites that many made them out to be. After losing two weeks ago at South Carolina, they struggled last weekend, looking sloppy and disinterested in a 23-10 win over Ole Miss.

While Alabama’s defense was excellent Saturday, their offense needs some fine tuning, especially the once feared running game. Against Ole Miss, Alabama carried the ball 34 times, but accumulated just 100 yards rushing.

That paltry 2.9 yard average is hardly what star running backs Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson were accounting for earlier this year, and a number which needs to be improved. Especially if the Tide are to be your Football Sports Betting pick this weekend.

As for Tennessee, it’s been a tough first year for head coach Derek Dooley, who simply doesn’t have the depth and talent to compete in this conference.

Right now, the Vols offense is especially struggling, scoring just 23 points per game, which ranks 84th in the country. And for a school which produced Arian Foster, Montario Hardesty and a handful of other great backs, the running game has been the biggest problem to date.

On the season, Tennessee is rushing for just 115 yards per game, which ranks 94th nationally. It certainly doesn’t help that the passing game hasn’t been much better, with quarterback Chris Simms completing just 57 percent of his passes.

As a matter of fact, with the offense struggling so much, Dooley has said during the week that true freshman Tyler Bray will see snaps under center.

That last little nugget is reason enough to stay away from Tennessee and make Alabama your Football Sports Betting pick this weekend.

Although Alabama’s defense struggled against South Carolina a few weeks ago, they looked much better last Saturday, limiting an Ole Miss offense that had been excellent coming into the game. Against the Rebels, Alabama gave up just 243 yards total.

On the year, Alabama still ranks No. 11 nationally in total defense (288 yards per game) and No. 5 in scoring defense (12.9), proving that even in a “down year,” this unit is still pretty good.

Even with Tennessee coming off a bye week, Alabama simply has too much on offense and defense to keep this one close. The Volunteers will might get better over time against Dooley, but it isn’t going to happen Saturday.

Alabama needs to be your Football Sports Betting pick this weekend.

Football Sports Betting Pick: Alabama -16 ½