Is Tennessee football facing playoff elimination game against Alabama?

With half the SEC battling for College Football Playoff spots, No. 10 Tennessee and No. 7 Alabama face a potential elimination game on the Third Saturday in October.

On today's episode of "The Volunteer State" podcast, hosts Adam Sparks and John Adams set the stakes for Saturday’s rivalry game (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC) between the Vols and Crimson Tide at Neyland Stadium.

Tennessee’s defense is red hot, allowing only seven touchdowns in six games. But its offense is ice cold, failing to score in the first half of the past two games.

That combination usually wouldn’t be enough to knock off the mighty Crimson Tide. But this Alabama team is flawed, perhaps just as flawed as Tennessee.

Here are the eight SEC teams with path to playoff

On Saturday, Tennessee and Alabama will search for their identity and a path to the playoff. But only one will find it in Neyland Stadium.

On the podcast, Sparks and Adams agreed that eight SEC teams are still legitimately in the mix for a playoff spot. Here they are in order of their ranking in the US LBM Coaches Poll :

• Texas (6-0, 2-0 SEC)
• Georgia (5-1, 3-1)
• Alabama (5-1, 2-1)
• LSU (5-1, 2-0)
• Tennessee (5-1, 2-1)
• Texas A&M (5-1, 3-0)
• Ole Miss (5-2, 2-1)
• Missouri (5-1, 1-1)

Sparks said he believes Texas and Texas A&M have the clearest path to the playoff, considering their resume thus far and their remaining schedule. He ranks Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia after that.

Obviously, that means the Vols control their own destiny. They play Alabama on Saturday and at Georgia on Nov. 16. A 10-2 record should get Tennessee into the playoff, but a 9-3 record is probably a lost cause.

But considering a win at Georgia is a tall order, this matchup against Alabama could be an elimination game in retrospect.

Adams said Georgia has a rockier road to the playoff because it must play at Texas, at Ole Miss and at home against Tennessee. The Bulldogs must survive that gauntlet, and Adams is skeptical.

Where is Alabama vulnerable vs. the Vols?

Early in the season, Sparks and Adams argued that Tennessee should run up the score against inferior opponents for style points in the playoff discussion. That ship has sailed now that the Vols offense is floundering.

Alabama is far from invincible. The Tide lost to Vanderbilt and narrowly beat South Carolina in the past two weeks.

Adams said Alabama's pass defense has been depleted by the transfer portal, so Tennessee needs to revive its air attack sooner than later.

He also sees quarterback Jalen Milroe as an x-factor. If he runs the ball well, the Vols could be in trouble. But if he commits turnovers, Tennessee's defense could feast on those mistakes.

Sparks said the same argument could be made for Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava. He needs to cut out turnovers and become a part of Tennessee's ground game.

Can Tennessee 'play-call' its way out of offensive woes?

Sparks and Adams agreed that Tennessee coach Josh Heupel and offensive coordinator Joey Halzle need to earn their paycheck this week by devising a creative and comprehensive plan beyond the norm.

"Tennessee almost needs to play-call its way through its deficiencies on offense," Sparks said.

Misdirection plays, pre-snap motions, jet sweeps, screen passes, quarterback runs and wide receiver screens are among the creative calls the Vols should attempt early in the game to get some momentum. Perhaps the script to start the game should to be longer than normal.

Adams wondered why Tennessee hadn't done that already. Sparks interjected, saying he believes Tennessee coaches thought the offense would break out of its slump, but it never did.

Poor offensive line play and growing pains by Iamaleava have slowed progress. But Alabama want show the Vols any mercy in working through those problems.

Sparks and Adams also discussed what's off with Alabama football in coach Kalen DeBoer's first season. And they predicted how the winning and losing fan bases will react after this rivalry game.

Listen to the podcast for that full conversation.

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com . X, formerly known as Twitter @AdamSparks . Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe .

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Is Tennessee football facing playoff elimination game against Alabama?