Is Tennessee that good? I think NC State (should have decent year) plays them 1st game of season.
Tennessee has a premier (college) qb and excellent talent at receiver, but I wouldn't say they're good enough to beat Alabama. But they are a good pick to upset Alabama if you're looking for a second loss on our schedule, just based on matchups, history, circumstances, etc.
That was kind of my point. 10-2 seems like a rational pick for Alabama's regular season record, but it's hard to actually find that second loss among the teams we play. Lines I've seen on the Michigan game have us as 10 to 14 point favorites, and it's hard to imagine lines much closer than that for anything but the LSU game. Maybe Arkansas, but only because it's in Fayetteville.
And there's a lot of that going around. I think preseason lines have USC as double digit favorites over everyone they play this year, and LSU's non-Nov. 3rd schedule looks about as favorable as Alabama's.
But I think Tennessee is only favored by about 4 points vs. NC State. Happy hunting
EDIT: Crap. I get here, read some posts and then forget what I came to post. But I suppose that's a good thing
Clemson star Sammy Watkins is out for the rubber match vs. Auburn to open the season, and Alabama's Brandon Hill was unavailable for the first day of practice with eligibility issues. Hill wasn't highly touted out of high school, but he's one of only three offensive linemen we signed in February . . .