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Last year's matchup between Tennessee football and Alabama delivered arguably the best game of that particular college football season. The upstart, sixth-ranked Vols, led by Hendon Hooker and Jalin Hyatt, hosted Bryce Young and the third-ranked Crimson Tide, ready to make a resounding statement for all of college football to hear.
Hooker completed 21-of-30 passes for 385 yards and threw for five touchdowns to one interception in the Vols' 52-49 upset win over the Tide. A whopping 207 of those yards and all five of those touchdowns went to Hyatt. Tennessee thrilling victory was an instant classic.
Now they meet again, but with a lot of new faces. Young is gone to the Carolina Panthers, and Jalen Milroe has taken his place. Hooker and Hyatt were both third-round picks, their absence this season paving the way for Joe Milton III and other talented pass-catchers. The venue is different, too, with this showdown being in Tuscaloosa, not Knoxville.
But, as the saying goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same. This game is still big, one both teams need to win to keep their long-shot chances of making the College Football Playoff alive. Here are 2 bold Tennessee football bold predictions for Week 8 against Alabama.
Joe Milton III throws for no more than 1 touchdown
Milton has played well for the Vols this season after taking the reins from Hooker Including Tennessee's Orange Bowl victory a year ago over the Clemson Tigers, Milton has gone 131-of-210 for 1,515 yards and 13 touchdowns compared to only four interceptions. Those are fantastic numbers. But they pale in comparison to Hooker's at this time last year, and Milton's play has not held up during conference action.
The Vols have played three SEC teams this season: Florida, South Carolina and Texas A&M. They're 2-1 in those games, with Milton completed 59% of his passes compared to his 64.8% completion rate in non-conference outings.
If Milton has had trouble against those teams, it is only going to get harder this week. Alabama's defense has been stout all season long. The Tide have allowed the 13th-fewest points per game in the country so far this season, and rank 15th in yards allowed per game, too. This will be Milton's toughest test yet in a Tennessee uniform.
Milton has thrown at least two touchdowns in five of his seven starts at Tennessee. But going on the road against this tough Alabama team, it will be difficult for him to reach that mark again.
Tennessee loses by at least two touchdowns
The spread for this game is Alabama -8.5, according to FanDuel. That seems about right, but it shouldn't surprise anyone if Alabama wins by more than that.
Tennessee has played only one road game in 2023, losing by 13 points. The Vols' offense hasn't clicked like it did last season, as evidenced by Milton's failure to pass for 300 yards or more in any game so far. Milton. Tennessee led all of college football a year by averaging 525.5 yards per game. The Vols are hardly slouching this season at 443.8 yards per game, but that discrepancy is significant.
Tennessee's defense has been pretty strong, however, not too far off Alabama's marks on the season. But Milroe has continued to progress as the season has gone on. Alabama is at home and has a statement they want to make after last year's shootout. Alabama wins and they win convincingly.
