The most dominant conference in college football is featuring its biggest game of the season through the first few weeks this Saturday when the third-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide invade Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee, in hopes of knocking off the sixth-ranked Volunteers.
Tennessee needs the win to keep pace with the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC East, but they are currently projected by college football betting sites to lose to Alabama by a touchdown at home.
Alabama @ Tennessee Betting Line
- Point Spread: Alabama -7.0, Tennessee +7.0
- Moneyline: Alabama -275, Tennessee +225
- Over/Under: 65.5
The Crimson Tide’s starting quarterback, Bryce Young, suffered a shoulder injury during their 49-26 win over the Arkansas Razorbacks on October 1st.
Young was unable to suit up for last weekend’s game against the Texas A&M Aggies, a contest that they managed to win by a score of 24-20 after a last-minute goal-line stand.
Can the Tide continue their winning streak in Knoxville without Bryce Young under center? The latest Alabama Tennessee betting lines are reflective of Young’s current unavailability.
That means if Young becomes eligible for Saturday, the odds at USA football betting sites will certainly shift further in Alabama’s favor.
Sports betting is all about risk. Gamblers risk their money on outcomes, and if the result is a failure, all wagered funds are lost to the sportsbook.
Betting requires putting money up against a result that the gambler feels is certain. If your research and knowledge base gives you confidence that Bryce Young will start the game against the Volunteers and you also believe that the Crimson Tide will win, then bets should be made right now while his injury status is up in the air.
Waiting to place your bets until Young becomes active for Saturday means that you’ll be laying some action on a spread that is not as friendly as it stands today.
“Bryce is getting re-evaluated today. I don’t really know much, I haven’t really talked to [the team doctors] since he did that. Hopefully, we’re going to try to get him ready to play this week. But this is something that nobody can predict how quickly this is going to give him an opportunity to be able to go out and do what he needs to do, and we’ll see as the week progresses. But I don’t have an update much more than that.”
University of Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban
The current SEC standings reveal the implications that Saturday’s game will have on the National Championship picture as well as the futures for CFP betting.
SEC Standings
SEC East Division
- Georgia 3-0 | 6-0
- Tennessee 2-0 | 5-0
- Florida 1-2 | 4-2
- Kentucky 1-2 | 4-2
- South Carolina 1-2 | 4-2
- Missouri 0-3 | 2-4
- Vanderbilt 0-2 | 3-3
SEC West Division
- Alabama 3-0 | 6-0
- Ole Miss 2-0 | 6-0
- LSU 2-1 | 4-2
- Mississippi State 2-1 | 5-1
- Auburn 1-2 | 3-3
- Texas A&M 1-2 | 3-3
- Arkansas 1-3 | 3-3
Alabama can certainly rebound from a Tennessee loss and still finish ahead of Ole Miss and LSU, securing a spot in the SEC Championship game on December 3rd in Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium.
Tennessee has a chance of overcoming a loss to Alabama, but that would require beating the Georgia Bulldogs on November 5th and stealing their top spot in the SEC East. This scenario would also likely necessitate that the Volunteers do not lose another game in 2022.
Here are the current CFP National Championship futures posted by Bovada, further illustrating how important this game is for both Alabama and Tennessee.
2022-2023 NCAAF Championship Odds
- Ohio State (#2) +180
- Georgia (#1) +220
- Alabama (#3) +260
- Clemson (#4) +1200
- Michigan (#5) +2000
- USC +2000
- Tennessee (#6) +4000
- Oklahoma State (#8) +6000
- Oregon (#12) +6000
- UCLA +6000
Regardless of Saturday’s outcome, the above CFP futures will change as a result – just another reason to place your college football bets as early as possible to secure the highest cash payouts.