Now I know why this spread rose from Tide -1.5 this morning and will only keep going up: Two of Tennessee's best players, sixth-year senior John Fulkerson (9.9 ppg, 6.6 rpg; dude has been at UT since before cell phones were invented, I swear) and freshman sensation Kennedy Chandler (14.0 ppg, 5.3 apg), are out. This should be a rout now.

Love the spot for Alabama, which has failed to cover four straight. The Crimson Tide spent the past eight days hearing about how bad they are defensively, while the Volunteers are the toast of Tennessee after knocking off previously unbeaten Arizona. Yet Alabama, which has lost two of its last three, is still favored. This is both teams' SEC opener; the atmosphere will be electric. Expect an Alabama performance more reminiscent of its wins over Gonzaga and Houston than its loss to Davidson. Lay the small number.