The Tennessee Volunteers and the Alabama Crimson Tide face off Saturday in a huge SEC matchup. The game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Alabama is a 7.5-point favorite against Tennessee on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Volunteers are +270 to pull off the upset.
Tennessee vs. Alabama Player Prop Best Bets
Mike Matthews Anytime Touchdown (+215)
Mike Matthews is comfortably leading the Volunteers in receiving yards this season. He actually has two fewer receptions than Braylon Staley, but 203 more yards. That is because Matthews is averaging 18 yards per catch this season. He has been the lone deep-play threat for Tennessee this season. The Volunteers’ passing attack has been quite poor all season, which is why Josh Heupel is making a change at quarterback to George MacIntyre this week.
Faizon Brandon was not providing Tennessee with the consistency in the passing game that it needed to compete with great teams. Ahead of this pivotal matchup against Alabama, Heupel is letting MacIntyre take over. While MacIntyre made a couple of mistakes last week against Arkansas, he also proved he can push it downfield in ways that Brandon could not. He should look to beat the Alabama secondary by hitting deep shots to Mike Matthews.
Alabama ranks ninth in the country in defensive rushing success rate, but 56th in defensive passing success rate. The way to attack the Crimson Tide is through the air. In Tennessee’s biggest game of the season so far, against Texas, Matthews found the end zone on a 30-yard touchdown pass as the Volunteers were mounting a comeback at the end of the fourth quarter. In what is another massive game for Tennessee’s playoff chances, Matthews should rise to the occasion and get into the end zone.
Lotzeir Brooks Longest Reception 28+ Yards (-125)
Alabama will be without its star receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams for this game. While Coleman-Williams is the household name and is known for his highlight reel plays, Lotzeir Brooks is a threat in his own right. Brooks and Coleman-Williams are actually tied for the Alabama season-high with 23 receptions in 2026. With Coleman-Williams out, Lotzeir Brooks should be the top target for Keelon Russell in this game. Alabama should be able to run the ball against Tennessee in this game, especially early on in a big road game. That run game should then open up the downfield shots for Keelon Russell.
Keelon Russell has quickly established himself as one of the best deep-ball throwers in college football. That is why Lotzeir Brooks has a longest reception of at least 28 yards in each of his past four games. He broke out with a 101-yard performance in Week 3 against Florida State and has been putting up big numbers ever since. Even against the vaunted Georgia defense, Brooks was able to hit this number. He should hit again in this matchup against Tennessee, with Ryan Coleman-Williams sidelined with an injury.
