Saturday Night ESPN2 College Football Picks – Tennessee @ Alabama Odds and Predictions – Week 8 NCAA Football Spreads and Odds

Week 8 Free College Football Picks and Spreads: Tennessee Volunteers @ Alabama Crimson Tide 2011 NCAA Football Vegas Odds, Free Picks, and Expert Predictions on ESPN2 Saturday 10/22/11: There probably aren’t any college football teams out there that envy the Tennessee Volunteers (3-3) these days. One week after being throttled by the top-ranked LSU Tigers, the Vols must travel to Tuscaloosa this Saturday to face the second-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide (7-0). Call it like in the SEC, but whole Nick Saban and company are focused solely on winning a national title, Tennessee is just trying to make positive strides in the toughest conference in the country. However, the Vols could have their work cut out for them as the 29 ½-point spread suggests.

Alabama may only be No. 2 in the polls, but the Crimson Tide boasts the top defense in the country. Thanks to 10 returning starters, Alabama’s defensive unit is giving up just 7.0 points per game and only 184.1 yards of offense. Perhaps even more impressively, the Crimson Tide is surrendering just 1.5 yards per carry to opposing running backs and just 38 yards a game on the ground. The unit’s combination of size and speed has dominated every opponent this season, including the high-powered Arkansas Razorbacks’ offense.

To make matters worse for the Volunteers, their offense won’t be at full strength. Starting QB Tyler Bray is out with a broken thumb, thrusting the unproven Matt Simms under center for his first start of the year. Ironically, Simms’ last start came last season against the Crimson Tide. The start didn’t go well for Simms or Tennessee, and Alabama left with a 41-10 victory. Simms is a year older, but the same is true for the Crimson Tide defense. Not to mention the fact that this game is in Tuscaloosa.

With points likely to be tough to come by for the Volunteers, any hope of an upset will hinge on whether or not the Tennessee defense can rise to the occasion. Unfortunately, the Vols don’t match up well against the Crimson Tide offense. Alabama has one of the strongest and most experienced offensive lines in the country, and the Tide also has Heisman frontrunner Trent Richardson carrying the ball. Richardson is second in the country in rushing yards and has already scored 15 times. Alabama as a whole is averaging more than 240 yards per game on the ground, and things could ugly for a Tennessee defense giving up more than 150 rushing yards a game.

It would take a monumental collapse on offense and defense for the Crimson Tide to lose this meeting Saturday, but with a 29 ½-point spread to cover, some questions remain for bettors. However, Alabama has been knocking off opponents by more than 30 a game this season. More importantly, the defense just doesn’t give up many points and has plenty of depth. Bettors don’t have to worry about garbage time touchdowns blowing potential covers, and covering 29 ½-points is a lot easier when the opponent is scoring less than 10 points a game.

Expect the Volunteers to get a healthy dose of Richardson, and the suspect Tennessee rushing defense will likely be in for a gashing. With Simms under center, any chance of the Volunteers mounting enough offense to pull an upset is dramatically reduced. This game is a mismatch from the start, and the Tide is focused enough and good enough to cover the large spread.

Prediction: Alabama Crimson Tide (-29 ½) Cover the Spread

Free College Football Picks and NCAAF Predictions: Alabama -29.5 to cover the spread

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