David Pollack reveals his pick for Tennessee at Alabama

The yearly “Third Saturday in October” rivalry will take center stage this weekend, as No. 6 Alabama hosts No. 11 Tennessee in Tuscaloosa. There’s finally some parity in this matchup again, as Alabama has dropped two of the last three meetings after winning 15 straight from 2007 through 2021.

With both programs ranked inside the Top 15, this will mark just the fourth meeting since 2000 in which both the Crimson Tide and Volunteers enter the game ranked that high. Tennessee has won two of the previous three such matchups, including victories in 2022 (52–49) and 2024 (24–17).

Ahead of Saturday’s clash, college football analyst David Pollack made his pick. He’s sticking with Alabama. Pollack believes quarterback Ty Simpson will lead the Tide to another hard-fought win in Bryant-Denny Stadium.

“I’m not doing it again. I’m not picking against Bama again. I’m not doing it. I’m not,” Pollack said on See Ball Get Ball. “I’m not doing it again. I’m not — like, I just, Ty Simpson is just that guy, and he’s going to be at home, and I just think he’s got a swag about him and I trust him. His mentality, the coach’s kid, who he is, man. Like, I just don’t think he’s going to have an off game.

“… He’s going to make everyone around him better. He’s going to make the right decisions. I’m not betting against Ty Simpson anytime soon. I know it’s been Murderer’s Row for Alabama. … Simpson knows how to do it and knows how to spin it. And I don’t care how good your pass rush is — most of the time, he’s going to get away and the ball is going to come out.

“So I like Bama in this game. … I think this is like a 30–27 game. I think this is actually a close game. I think Tennessee is going to absolutely score.”

It’s easy to see why Pollack is confident in Simpson. The Alabama quarterback has thrown for 1,678 yards, 16 touchdowns, and just one interception this season. On the other hand, Tennessee has its own playmaker under center, with Joey Aguilar posting 1,680 yards, 14 touchdowns, and five interceptions.

Whichever quarterback performs better could ultimately decide this one. Either way, Pollack expects a high-scoring, physical matchup between the SEC rivals. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC, and fans shouldn’t expect anything less than fireworks in Tuscaloosa.

— On3’s Daniel Hager contributed to this article.