Pat McAfee Predicts Top 10 College Football Upset in Week 8

ESPN "College GameDay" analyst Pat McAfee believes a top 10 giant will fall in Week 8.

The third Saturday in October is here and that means another installment of Alabama-Tennessee, one of the most notable rivalries in the SEC. The No. 7 Crimson Tide (5-1) will take on the No. 11 Volunteers (5-1) in Knoxville at 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC).

Both programs enter this year's matchup with a lot on the line after some missteps over the last couple of weeks.

Alabama and first-year head coach Kalen DeBoer have looked vulnerable since beating No. 5 Georgia in Week 4. Vanderbilt took down the Tide in Week 6, and South Carolina took Alabama to the wire last week.

On the other side, Josh Heupel's Vols are in a similar situation. After falling to unranked Arkansas, Tennessee went to overtime against unranked Florida last week.

The Tide are listed as 3-point favorites, per ESPN Bet. Alabama has dominated the recent head to head, winning 16 of the last 17 matchups.

But McAfee thinks Tennessee will flip the narrative on Saturday in Neyland Stadium, where the Vols took down Alabama in 2022.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava will need to take a step forward for the Vols to pull off the upset. After throwing for five touchdowns through the first two games, the former five-star has totaled just two touchdowns in the last four matchups.

However, the Tide have been ineffective at defending the pass. Alabama ranks 54th in the nation in pass defense.

What the Tide are good at, though, is using star quarterback Jalen Milroe to wreak havoc on opposing defenses. Tennessee's No. 2 ranked defense (249 yards per game) will certainly have its hands full, especially after losing leading tackler Keenan Pili to a torn ACL. Milroe, a junior, is tied for the most total touchdowns in the country (23).

The winner of today's game will keep their hopes alive in the SEC championship race. The loser, however, will likely need a lot of help from the rest of the conference to make the title game in Atlanta and ultimately the College Football Playoff.

Related: Jalen Milroe Makes Career Announcement Before Alabama-Tennessee