GoVols247’s weekly pick section rolls into Week 7 with the spotlight right where it usually belongs: on Tennessee and Alabama.
The staff is again weighing in on the weekend’s biggest college football matchups, with Patrick Brown, Ryan Callahan and Ben McKee making their calls on SEC games, top-25 showdowns and, naturally, the Vols. If you’ve already jumped into the GoVols247 Pick ’Em competition, the challenge is on. If not, there’s still time to compare notes - or, as the story puts it, to “point and laugh at the GoVols247 staff's predictions.”
Last week was kind to McKee, who posted a 13-5 mark. Callahan went 11-7, while Brown finished 8-10.
The season-long numbers tell a similar story. McKee leads the group at 81-50, followed by Callahan at 72-59 and Brown at 66-64.
This week’s headliner is No. 14 Tennessee hosting No.
6 Alabama. The Vols enter at 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the SEC after a 24-17 win at Arkansas.
Alabama comes in at 5-1 and 3-1 after falling 20-17 to Georgia, which now sits atop the national rankings.
The series history still tilts heavily toward Alabama, which has taken 17 of the past 19 meetings. Even so, Tennessee has found a way to make Neyland Stadium a problem for the Crimson Tide lately.
The Vols snapped a 15-game skid in the rivalry with their wild 52-49 win in 2022, then beat Alabama 24-17 in 2024. Alabama answered last season with a 37-20 victory in Tuscaloosa.
In Other News...
Nick Saban Sees One Real Threat In Alabama's Trip To Neyland
The buildup to Alabamas trip to Neyland Stadium has centered on more than the usual rivalry noise, and former Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban added another layer on College GameDay by pointing to what Tennessee does best. With No. 6 Alabama set to face No. 16 Tennessee in Week 7, the spotlight is on a Volunteers defense that has shown it can make life difficult and on an offense that wants to control the game by staying on the ground and shortening the number of possessions.
For Tennessee, that formula matters because it can do more than just keep the chains moving. It can also keep Alabamas offense on the sideline long enough for the Volunteers defensive front to influence the rhythm of the game, which is where Saban sees the real challenge for the Tide. If Tennessees defense continues to hold up the way it has this season, Neyland could turn into a very uncomfortable place for a team that expects to dictate the pace. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Heads Into Alabama With One Big QB Question
Sophomore George MacIntyre is in line to make another start for Tennessee when the Vols head into their rivalry game against Alabama, giving Josh Heupels offense a familiar face as it tries to keep its rhythm in one of the SECs most demanding environments. Heupel had plenty to like from MacIntyre in his first career start at Arkansas, where the young quarterback showed the kind of decisiveness and playmaking that can steady an offense even in a pressure-packed spot.
The bigger question now is what Tennessee gets behind him, and whether freshman Faizon Brandon will be available after being removed from the latest injury report. His status still leaves a layer of uncertainty around the quarterback room heading into a game where every snap matters, and Tennessee would obviously rather have more depth than fewer answers when it meets Alabama. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Faces A Brutal Tennessee Test It Cannot Afford To Fail
Alabamas trip to Knoxville sits near the center of a Week 7 slate loaded with playoff-pressure games, and it brings plenty more than the usual SEC pageantry. The Crimson Tide are dealing with injury concerns and walking into a road setting that can change quickly, while Tennessee has the kind of home-field edge that tends to sharpen every mistake and amplify every momentum swing.
For the Volunteers, it is the sort of matchup that can shape the rest of the season in one afternoon. Alabama is the favorite on paper, but the road test is steep enough to put real stress on a team trying to keep its footing in the College Football Playoff race, and Tennessee has every reason to believe this is the kind of game that can expose a favorite if it is not ready from the opening series. [Read more 🡒]