Joel Klatt Predicts SEC Powerhouse Will Fall out of Playoff Race After Saturday Loss

One of the hottest teams in all of college football earlier this season was the Tennessee Volunteers. With sophomore phenom quarterback Nico Iamaleava Jr. at the helm living up to high expectations early on, paired with a dominant defense, the Vols became an early pick to win the national championship this year.

Since conference play started, though, things haven't gone quite as well for the Volunteers. Even with a 2-1 record in the SEC — their only loss coming to Arkansas, 19-14 — the offense has completely stalled out, with Iamaleava struggling to get any type of production going.

It's because of this that Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt sees the No. 11 Volunteers losing this week against No. 7 Alabama, and falling out of the College Football Playoff picture.

"This game is massive in the SEC Championship race because the loser — like Georgia — puts themselves into a position where there's really not a path to the SEC Championship Game," Klatt said on his podcast this week. "Quite frankly, looking at their schedules, if they lose a third game, you're talking about the loser of this game likely not getting into the College Football Playoff."

While Alabama has struggled as of late as well, losing to Vanderbilt two weeks ago and then barely beating South Carolina last week, for Klatt it is a question of which team has shown more as of late, and which can bounce back quicker.

"It's much easier for a defense to correct wrongs and get better than it is for an offense to correct wrongs and get better," Klatt said. "Where would you put money on one of them improving? Mine would be on Alabama's defense."

According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Alabama is a 2.5-point favorite in this game early on. Klatt says that you should give those points and ride with the Tide.

"I've got a Bama cover, 24-20," Klatt said. "I think they win it by four, and I fully anticipate a Nico interception or two. Maybe they get to 20 points, maybe they don't."

This SEC showdown will take place on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. EST, aired on ABC.

Related: Joel Klatt Makes Official Pick for No. 1 Texas Longhorns vs. No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs