South Alabama at Tennessee Week 12 College Football Matchup South Alabama at Tennessee Matchup - Week 12
Sun, Nov 21 2021 · Week 12 · 🏟 Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN · Turf · 102,455 cap
South Alabama✈ 434 mi+1 hr TZ
14 60
Final
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📊 Punt & Rally Projection
South Alabama
17
USA +28.5
Tennessee
44
P&R Line Tennessee -27
P&R Total O/U 60.5
Confidence 86 High
Vegas Tennessee -28.5 · O/U 61.5
Matchup Prediction
Metrics disagree on this matchup
Momentum Control favors Tennessee, while Game Control favors South Alabama. Split signals historically show weaker predictive confidence — treat as a toss-up.
⚡ Split Signal — Metrics Disagree
Momentum Control
58.4%
Tennessee wins
Lean
Game Control
49.4%
South Alabama wins
Toss-up
Vegas Spread
Tennessee -28.5
O/U 61.5
teamrankings
Advanced Stats
PPA + Success Rate agree → Tennessee · 73.9% ATS historically
↓ See full breakdown
🏠 Tennessee 2nd straight Home Game 🚌 South Alabama 3rd straight Road Game
South Alabama 2021 Schedule
South Alabama's 2021 Schedule
DateMatchupSpreadTotalResultO/UCover
Sat 9/4South Alabama vs Southern Miss-2.0W31–756.5W31–7UY
Sat 9/11South Alabama at Bowling Green-14.5W22–1948.0W22–19UN
Sat 9/18South Alabama vs Alcorn State-21.5W28–2144.5W28–21ON
— Bye Week —
Sat 10/2South Alabama vs Louisiana+12.0L18–2052.5L18–20UY
Sat 10/9South Alabama at Texas State-4.0L31–3352.5L31–33ON
Thu 10/14South Alabama vs Georgia Southern-2.5W41–1449.0W41–14OY
Sat 10/23South Alabama at UL Monroe-13.5L31–4151.5L31–41ON
Sat 10/30South Alabama vs Arkansas State-9.5W31–1367.0W31–13UY
Sat 11/6South Alabama at Troy+3.5L24–3147.5L24–31ON
Sat 11/13South Alabama at App State+21.5L7–3151.5L7–31UN
Sat 11/20South Alabama at Tennessee+28.5L14–6061.5L14–60ON
Fri 11/26South Alabama vs Coastal Carolina+14.5L21–2755.5L21–27UY
Tennessee 2021 Schedule
Tennessee's 2021 Schedule
DateMatchupSpreadTotalResultO/UCover
Thu 9/2Tennessee vs Bowling Green-37.0W38–660.5W38–6UN
Sat 9/11Tennessee vs Pittsburgh+3.5L34–4156.0L34–41ON
Sat 9/18Tennessee vs Tennessee Tech-38.0W56–053.0W56–0OY
Sat 9/25Tennessee at Florida+19.0L14–3865.0L14–38UN
Sat 10/2Tennessee at Missouri+2.5W62–2466.5W62–24OY
Sat 10/9Tennessee vs South Carolina-10.5W45–2057.0W45–20OY
Sat 10/16Tennessee vs Ole Miss+1.0L26–3182.0L26–31UN
Sat 10/23Tennessee at Alabama+24.5L24–5268.0L24–52ON
— Bye Week —
Sat 11/6Tennessee at Kentucky-1.0W45–4257.5W45–42OY
Sat 11/13Tennessee vs Georgia+19.0L17–4156.0L17–41ON
Sat 11/20Tennessee vs South Alabama-28.5W60–1461.5W60–14OY
Sat 11/27Tennessee vs Vanderbilt-33.0W45–2165.0W45–21ON
Thu 12/30Tennessee vs Purdue-8.0L45–4867.0L45–48ON
Advanced Stats
Advanced Analytics Matchup
Matchup-adjusted (offense vs opponent defense) · 2021 season
Tennessee PPA Edge
Agreement Signals — When All Metrics Agree
Elite · 83.1% ATS
PPA + PPO + SR + Havoc
Split
Metrics disagree
Elite · 82.4% ATS
PPA + PPO + Havoc
Split
Metrics disagree
Elite · 73.9% ATS
PPA + Success Rate
Both Agree
→ Tennessee
Individual Factors — Ranked by Predictive Strength
PPA Overall
Points added per play · Elite predictor
South Alabama
+0.398
Tennessee
+0.471
Tennessee Edge
PPA Passing
Pass efficiency edge · Strong predictor
South Alabama
+0.539
Tennessee
+0.683
Tennessee Edge
Havoc Total
Def. disruption rate · Strong predictor
South Alabama
0.197
Tennessee
0.179
TFLs, sacks, PBUs, forced fumbles — higher is better
South Alabama Edge
Points Per Opp
Drive-finishing edge · Strong predictor
South Alabama
+7.525
Tennessee
+7.286
South Alabama Edge
Success Rate
Play consistency edge · Solid predictor
South Alabama
+0.834
Tennessee
+0.869
Tennessee Edge
Field Position
Avg start (lower=better) · Solid predictor
South Alabama
71.5
Tennessee
69.2
Avg yards from own endzone to average start — lower is better · longer bar = better field position
Tennessee Edge
Advanced stats sourced from CFBD · 2021 season · Edges are matchup-adjusted (offense vs opponent defense)
Power Ratings
Team Power Ratings
Overall · Offense · Defense ratings · Updated as season progresses
Tennessee Rated Higher
Overall Power Rating
South Alabama
-11.8
Tennessee
13.5
Offense Rating
South Alabama
8.6
Tennessee
22.0
Defense Rating (lower = better defense)
South Alabama
20.4
Tennessee
8.4
Power ratings updated throughout the season as results accumulate
Momentum Control (CSS)
Consecutive Scoring Sequences Who builds scoring momentum? Tennessee Edge
Avg sequences created per game
South Alabama #96
1.22
Tennessee #44
1.30
Avg sequences allowed per game (lower is better)
South Alabama #103
0.78
Tennessee #125
1.50
Tennessee +0.08
CSS Edge (season-to-date)
Teams with this edge win 58.4% of games historically
Based on 10 games this season
Game Control (GC)
Win Probability Dominance Who controls games start to finish? South Alabama Edge
Avg GC score per game (offense)
South Alabama #1
48.9
Tennessee #1
48.9
Avg GC score allowed per game (lower is better)
South Alabama #77
39.9
Tennessee #48
41.7
South Alabama +0.0
GC Edge (season-to-date)
Teams with this edge win 49.4% of games historically
Based on 10 games this season
Actual Result
CSS Battle
Tennessee
5 — 0 sequences
✓ Predicted correctly
GC Battle
Tennessee
97.2 — 1.0 GC score
✗ Predicted incorrectly
Game Result
Tennessee won by 46
Spread Context
ATS Historical Context
Based on 2021–2025 backtest · FBS vs FBS · Regular season

CSS and GC disagree on this matchup. When the metrics split, historical cover rates are essentially random — treat this as a coin flip against the spread.

ATS data is informational only. Past cover rates do not guarantee future results.

Coaching Matchup
South Alabama
Kane Wommack #1
3–0 (100%) · Yr 1 at school
OC Major Applewhite Yr 1 #1
DC Corey Batoon Yr 1 #1
Staff Rating
0.00 #1
Tennessee
Josh Heupel #1
2–1 (67%) · Yr 1 at school
OC Alex Golesh Yr 1 #1
DC Tim Banks Yr 1 #1
Staff Rating
0.00 #1
About these metrics
Advanced Stats shows matchup-adjusted factor edges (offense vs opponent defense). Combination signals — when PPA, PPO, Success Rate, and Havoc all point the same direction — have historically predicted the SU winner in 95–97% of games and the ATS winner in 82–83% of games (2021–2025, FBS vs FBS, regular season).
Impact: Advanced Stats are the best performance based metric used to predict the outcome of games.

Momentum Control (CSS) measures consecutive scoring sequences — when a team scores, holds the opponent scoreless, then scores again. Teams entering a game with a CSS edge of +1.0 or more have won 71–78% of games historically (2021–2025, FBS vs FBS).
Impact: Momentum Control is a great measure for predicting game outcome but NOT an ATS advantage, data shows this is already considered when lines are set.

Game Control (GC) measures win probability dominance — how thoroughly a team controlled the game from start to finish. Teams with a GC edge of +12 or more have won 67–76% of games historically. When both metrics agree, combined confidence is higher. When they split, treat as a lean at best.
Impact: Game Control is another great measure for predicting game outcome but NOT an ATS advantage, data shows this is already considered when lines are set.

Power Ratings are a custom-built composite of a Teams Talent, Experience & Production, Coaching & Performance Metrics. These are updated constantly with roster changes, performance once the games start for the 2026 season, injuries the team is dealing with and scheduling situations.
Impact: There are a wide range of power ratings available, we think ours is the best, you can decide for yourself