Alabama comes in from the other direction. The Tide put up 45, 50, 49 and 56 in the 4 games before Georgia came to Bryant-Denny, then managed 17 in a 20-17 loss. It was Kirby Smart's first regular-season win over Alabama. A Bama team that had looked like it could score at will got held to 17 by a top-2 defense, and the Tide still go to Knoxville as the road favorite.
Look at how each team has scored. Tennessee hung 45 on Georgia Tech and 42 on Kennesaw State, but it has scored 17, 24 and 24 in its last 3, which included a 20-17 home loss to Texas. Alabama's only blemish has the same final score. These are 2 teams that have each lost once by 3 points, and Alabama gave up 36 to Florida State in a game it still won by 14. The Tide defense hasn't been airtight against good offenses, but Tennessee's current offense, whoever plays quarterback, hasn't been one lately.
Tennessee's injury list is longer than the quarterback. Guard W. Moe Jr. and linebacker J. Harmon are both done for the year, cornerback Q. Moss was ruled out for the Auburn game, and running back J. Gordon has been questionable with a leg injury. That makes Bishop's workload matter even more. On Alabama's side, tight end J. Ford was questionable with an arm injury going into the Georgia game. The forecast for Knoxville is clear, with temperatures in the mid-50s and about 12 mph of wind, so the conditions shouldn't get in the way.
Ranked teams meet in the oldest grudge match either school has. Alabama needs to show that the Georgia game was one bad night and not a sign that the offense can be shut down. Tennessee needs to show that a team leaning on its running back and an uncertain shoulder can beat a top-10 opponent in its own building, something it couldn't do against Texas.