Josh Heupel addresses hype surrounding Alabama game

No. 17 Tennessee at No. 11 Alabama is arguably the biggest matchup in college football this weekend, and rightfully so.

The 2022 instant classic that saw the Vols take down the Crimson Tide via field goal as time expired. Of course, Alabama wants that win back — but at the same time, Vols head coach Josh Heupel wants his guys with a level head going into Saturday.

“I think every week [the team] feels like it’s the biggest game of the season,” Heupel said on Thursday. “I say that meaning it’s the only one we got. They’ve been great in their preparation. Practice has been good. We have to finish it the right way to put ourselves in a position to play the best that we can. This football team has great confidence though in who we are and how we’re going to go compete.”

One of the biggest question marks for both programs coming into Saturday is whether or not each offensive line can protect their respective quarterback.

Tennessee’s James Pearce Jr. and Tyler Baron have combined for 11 sacks at the midway point in the season. At 6.0 and 5.0 sacks respectively, they rank No. 2 and No. 4 in the SEC in total sacks. Alabama’s Dallas Turner leads the SEC with 7.0, so neither Jalen Milroe, nor Joe Milton are safe from sacks this weekend. Still, Heupel remains confident in his guys.

“It feels like we’re doing a good job but there’s always some things after every ball game that you want to continue to clean up,” Heupel continued. “This football game, you have to win the line of scrimmage and your personnel on the perimeter has to go win one-on-ones. That’s true on both sides of the football.”

If one thing is for sure, this will be one of the most physical matchups we’ll see in the SEC all season. Both teams still have something to prove at this point in the season, and both see this game as a pivotal opportunity to turn their respective seasons around.

Both programs come into the Week 8 matchup with one loss on their record. While this isn’t a division matchup, the stakes are just as high. The opening kickoff for Saturday’s matchup between the Crimson Tide and Volunteers is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET live on CBS.

Alabama will head into game week as an 8.5-point favorite, per FanDuel Sportsbook. The over/under point total is set at 48.5.