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Paul Finebaum explains why Alabama-Tennessee is a Playoff elimination game
By Adam Spencer
Published:
Paul Finebaum is a proud Tennessee alum, so the Third Saturday in October rivalry has been an important one to him over the years.
This year, though, the Alabama-Tennessee rivalry game has some serious implications when it comes to the College Football Playoff.
During his Sunday morning appearance on SportsCenter, Finebaum explained why Saturday’s showdown on Rocky Top will essentially serve as an elimination game for the expanded 12-team Playoff:
“This is such an important game,” he said. “It always is. Everybody knows about the Third Saturday in October. There is everything on the line. Let’s say Tennessee loses this game. That would be 2 losses. They have Georgia later in the year in Athens. OK, let’s move Tennessee off the board. What about Alabama? Alabama has looked so poor the last 2 weeks. I can’t even believe we’re talking about them as a Playoff team, but we are. A loss by Alabama, that’s 2 losses, and they still have to go to LSU, they have Missouri at home and they still have to go to Oklahoma. That LSU game will be their undoing.”
Who will win the rivalry game? We’ll find out as part of a huge slate of Week 8 college football action next Saturday.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
