Tennessee Football won’t be in action this weekend with the first of its two open dates taking place this Saturday. It’s a good time for the open date, coming off a 4-1 start to the season and leading into a revenge game against Arkansas that the Vols won’t want to overlook with Alabama on the other side of things.
So while that gives the Tennessee coaching staff a chance to hit the recruiting trail and Vol fans a chance to sit back and, I don’t know, mow their lawns or take care of some housework instead of watching UT play on Saturday, there’s still a decent slate of games to keep an eye on this weekend.
It’s not the greatest slate in the world, but there are some important matchups taking place, like the one happening in Tuscaloosa. More on that in a second.
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Here’s a look at the three best SEC games this weekend and the current betting odds for each. For some of the best sportsbook promos and betting bonus codes in the state of Tennessee, click here.
No. 16 Vanderbilt at No. 10 Alabama
If there’s a game that Tennessee fans will want to keep an eye on this weekend, it’s ESPN’s College GameDay matchup at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday afternoon in Bryant-Denny Stadium. This is a game that we find out some answers with. Is Vanderbilt legit? The Commodores have looked strong with an undefeated 5-0 start to the season, but the Crimson Tide is obviously their biggest test to date. Vanderbilt has a tough stretch coming up, starting with Alabama, so this game could tell us a lot about where Clark Lea’s team is in conference play.
On the flip side, though, can Alabama stay firm after upsetting Georgia last weekend? Usually after a big game, you’re talking about whether the losing team can bounce back or if they’ll be hungover entering the next weekend. For Alabama’s sake, do the Crimson Tide look sharp for another consecutive week or do they come out flat like they did in Week 1?
Tennessee will have both of these teams on the schedule this season. They are annual rivals moving forward, after all. Rocky Top Insider asked its Instagram followers to vote on what the best outcome is for this game from a Tennessee perspective: Alabama wins big, Alabama barely survives, or Vanderbilt wins outright. With 909 votes cast, 45% of respondents said “Alabama Crushes Vandy” while 30% of people said “Vandy Upsets Alabama.” The remaining 25% said “Alabama Barely Survives Vandy.”
Alabama is currently an point favorite at home. Here’s a look at the odds:
No. 9 Texas at Florida
Arch Manning will lead the Texas Longhorns into The Swamp to take on Florida at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday in Gainesville. The Longhorns have rattled off three straight wins after starting the season with a 14-7 loss at Ohio State, but none of the three opponents have been quality in the slightest. While Florida hasn’t looked great this year, Texas could get trapped if it gets caught sleeping on the road.
The Gators, meanwhile, have suffered three straight losses after a season-opening win over Long Island. The difference, though, is that all three have been against quality teams. Florida has lost to South Florida, at LSU, and at Miami in its last three games.
The interesting thing about this game is that both teams are coming off a bye week for this contest. Who does that favor more? Texas with a chance to lock in before going on the road? Florida to regroup and rest while looking over far more legitimate game tape to get ready for the game? That’s one of the big X-Factors going into this game.
Florida needs a win to get on track, but, frankly, Texas also needs a win to quiet some of the doubters early in the season. Interesting dynamic in The Swamp on Saturday.
Texas is a point favorite on the road. Here’s a look at the odds:
Mississippi State at No. 6 Texas A&M
Head coach Jeff Lebby and the Bulldogs are on the road against Texas A&M in College Station this weekend. And, unfortunately for the ‘Dawgs, it’s a 7:30 p.m. ET night game at Kyle Field. Even against an unranked opponent, it should be a rockin’ atmosphere inside the mammoth stadium.
Lebby’s Bulldogs have been one of the bigger surprises this season, but they are coming off a heartbreaking overtime defeat at the hands of Tennessee last weekend. And while Tennessee did shoot itself in the foot on a handful of occasions throughout the game, State played them tough. Can Mississippi State bring that underdog mentality into CStat and shock the world? The Bulldogs are 4-1 on the season, but their only away game so far has been against Southern Miss in the season-opener, winning that game by a score of 34-17.
Texas A&M, on the other hand, has rattled off four straight wins to begin the season. Its last two wins, with an open date in between them, came on the road against Notre Dame and at home against Auburn. Both games were decided by less than one touchdown, beating the Irish 41-40 and the Tigers 16-10. The Aggies have been known to drop a game that they statistically shouldn’t, but the question around the program this year is if they can stave off that disappointing loss, especially early in the season. On the flip side of that, though, this could be a nice confidence booster for Mike Elko’s program if it handles business like it should.
Texas A&M is a point favorite at home against the Bulldogs of Mississippi State. Here’s a look at the full odds board for the game:
For some of the best sportsbook promos and betting bonus codes in the state of Tennessee, click here.
