ESPN’s College Football Studio hosts aren’t giving Alabama much of a shot against Tennessee in the immediate aftermath of the Tide’s win over South Carolina on Saturday.
The Tide survived a back-and-forth game against Shane Beamer’s Gamecocks as ultimately South Carolina just couldn’t put the final points on the board, losing 27-25 to Alabama.
ABC cut to ESPN’s College Football Studio show in the few minutes before the Texas-Oklahoma game with hosts Dari Nowkhah, Dan Orlovsky, and Booger McFarland. The hosts closed the segment without giving Alabama much of a shot in next weekend’s Third Saturday in October matchup after the last two weeks.
The hosts debated Jalen Milroe’s impact and South Carolina’s inability to close out the game before moving to the bigger picture for the Crimson Tide.
“In Tuscaloosa, they’re going to panic,” McFarland said. “You lose to Vanderbilt, and you probably should’ve lost today to South Carolina. [Orlovsky cuts in to say “outplayed”] Outplayed, very fair. Outplayed by South Carolina. If you’re Kalen Deboer, you have to ask yourself, why is my team not playing up to their potential? Because that’s two weeks in a row with some big opponents coming down the road.”
“Can that team beat Tennessee?” Orlovsky asked.
“No, no,” McFarland said.
“Eh, not today,” Nowkhah replied.
Orlovsky didn’t offer a rebuttal to the answers, seemingly agreeing with his co-hosts.
More from RTI: SEC Nation Officially Heading to Tennessee For Rivalry Game Against Alabama
There’s still a lot of time between now and next weekend but it’s certainly shaping up to be a potentially season-shaping game for both programs. Alabama will enter the game with one loss and a likely Top 12 ranking while Tennessee also has one loss but has yet to play Florida on Saturday night in Knoxville. The Vols and Gators will kick off at 7:00 p.m. ET on Saturday night in Neyland Stadium.
Alabama might have the best win on paper this year over Georgia but immediately followed it up with a historic upset loss to Vanderbilt in Nashville last weekend. The Crimson Tide have looked plenty shaky at times under Deboer this season but, for the most part, have managed to keep the wheels on the train as they move through the schedule.
Alabama has played road games at Wisconsin and Vanderbilt this season but should expect a roaring environment as usual for next Saturday’s game in Knoxville.
