Top 5 matchups for Week 8 of the 2024 college football season
2. No. 7 Alabama at No. 11 Tennessee – Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
The SEC features an abundance of quality games in Week 8 and Alabama鈥檚 matchup with Tennessee has the making of another classic. The rivalry known as 鈥淭he Third Saturday in October鈥� has been played 105 times since 1901, with Alabama leading the series 59-39-7. That鈥檚 thanks in part to a dominant recent stretch as the Volunteers have just one win, a 52-49 thriller in 2022, against the Crimson Tide since 2006.
While the Vols could change that at home on Saturday, No. 7 Alabama enters the contest as a slight road favorite, even with its struggles in recent weeks as the Crimson Tide shockingly lost at Vanderbilt and barely beat South Carolina at home following their huge win over Georgia. A victory at Tennessee would be significant with Missouri and LSU ahead on the schedule, and with the inconsistency Alabama has recently had on defense, it could take a big effort from Jalen Milroe and skilled freshman receiver Ryan Williams to try and outscore the Vols.
Up until a tight loss at Arkansas and an overtime home victory against Florida this past weekend, Tennessee had been playing as well as anyone in the country. Now, the Vols are trying to regain that form and hope to find their footing offensively against Alabama with a top-10 unit that matches up well with the Tide, particularly in the run game led by Dylan Sampson. The Volunteers鈥� defense has been even better, allowing just six touchdowns all year and less than 250 yards per game. A second straight win over the Crimson Tide in Knoxville would be huge for Josh Heupel and a signature moment for young quarterback Nico Iamaleava.
