Tennessee @ Alabama preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 25, 2014 ) Alabama 34, Tennessee 20

The further away Alabama gets from its one loss, the more that defeat looks like just a minor bump in the road. The Crimson Tide will go for their fifth straight win and try to avoid looking ahead when they host Tennessee on Saturday.

Alabama is set to host LSU in its next game on Nov. 7 in what is expected to be a battle for the top spot in the SEC West, but the annual meeting with the Volunteers is just as important. “I think the Tennessee game is a special game to a lot of people in the state of Alabama because of the tradition and the rivalry that has existed here for a long time, as well as the history that the game brings,” Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban told reporters. “It's most certainly a special game to us, and our team will get ready to play a very good game against a very good Tennessee team.” The Volunteers are coming off their first SEC win and are hoping the wave of momentum that resulted from overcoming a 21-point deficit in the 38-31 triumph over Georgia will carry through a bye week. “We finally got a good win on our shoulders,” Tennessee defensive back Brian Randolph told reporters. “We all like the feeling of (winning), so we're just trying to get it again.”

TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Alabama -15.5

ABOUT TENNESSEE (3-3, 1-2 SEC): The Georgia win not only snapped a two-game slide and got the Volunteers back to .500, but it marked the best game of quarterback Joshua Dobbs’ season. The junior threw for 312 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 118 yards and a pair of scores and impressed his coach with his leadership skills. “From a leadership standpoint and a mentality standpoint, he's done a good job with that but I thought he took it to another level in the Georgia game,” Volunteers coach Butch Jones told reporters. “We're going to continue to need that as the season progresses.”

ABOUT ALABAMA (6-1, 3-1): Dobbs faces a Crimson Tide secondary that totaled four interceptions against Texas A&M last week and returned three of them for touchdowns. Freshman Minkah Fitzpatrick returned two of those picks for scores, earning himself SEC freshman of the week honors and some praise from Saban. “Three scores on defense is unprecedented and probably some kind of record,” Saban told reporters. “Minkah having two is fantastic for a freshman."

EXTRA POINTS

1. Alabama has taken eight straight in the series.

2. The Volunteers have lost 10 straight games against SEC West opponents.

3. The Crimson Tide have won 57 straight games against unranked teams.

PREDICTION: Alabama 35, Tennessee 17