SEC Football: Week Seven Predictions: The Third Saturday in October

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Oct 8, 2016; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick (29) intercepts a pass against the Arkansas Razorbacks and returns it for a touchdown during the fourth quarter at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Alabama defeated Arkansas 49-30. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports /

#1 Alabama (-13) over #9 Tennessee, Saturday 2:30 PM (CT), Neyland Stadium

When was the last time the stakes for the Third Saturday in October were this high? For that matter, when was the last time this rivalry was actually played on the third Saturday in October? This very well may be the biggest home game for Tennessee in the last 10 years as the Vols playoff and SEC Championship hopes could very well be on the line.

Unfortunately, the Vols are absolutely decimated by injuries and have continued to strongly along the trenches. This is less than optimal for the Vols as Bama’s defensive line is one of the best in the country and their offensive line is coming off it’s best game of the season. The Vols have also struggled to protect the football as they turned the ball over 7 times last week. Couple that with the fact that Bama excels at forcing turnovers and we have the recipe for a disaster for the Vols.

Despite their performance last week, I still have my doubts about Bama’s offense. However, with the absences on the Tennessee defense, the Tide should be able to put up points. Picking Arkansas to cover last week was my only miss and I’m not going to make that mistake again here. Expect Bama to force several turnovers from Josh Dobbs and continue to improve running the football as the Tide rolls to another dominant victory. Alabama 34, Tennessee 14

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