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Five and a Fade, College Edition: Last Week Chaos and Carnage Was the Rule

Last week I went 4-2 in the college edition of Five and a Fade, and five underdogs I backed won outright on one Saturday, Vols included.

The five: Michigan +7 against Indiana, Kentucky -11.5 against Vanderbilt, Oklahoma -3.5 at Mississippi State, Houston +6.5 at Utah and Texas Tech -10.5 at Cincinnati.

The Fade: LSU -7.5 at Auburn. Everybody saw LSU 31, Mississippi State 0. I’m taking Auburn +7.5. The Vols get their own column: Tennessee +2.5 at South Carolina.

College record: 4-2 last week, 7-3 on the season counting the Vols. Vols against the spread: 3-1.

Read the full column at TriStar Daily: https://tristardaily.com/five-and-a-fade-college-edition-last-week-chaos-and-carnage-was-the-rule/

Get my columns by email: https://jeremydurham.substack.com

October 21, 2026
Tennessee Found Its Identity Saturday as It ‘Smoked’ Bama

Everybody’s talking about the defense and DeSean Bishop. Tennessee beat Alabama 26-10 at Neyland, holding the Tide to 54 rushing yards and 201 total, with five sacks and four takeaways. Bishop ran for both Tennessee touchdowns, and Alabama didn’t score after halftime.

That’s an identity: a defense that gets after the quarterback, a running game that wears you down, and a team that finishes. Tennessee +7.5 cashed with plenty to spare. Season record against the spread: 3-1.

Next up is South Carolina, and the line flipped five points, from Tennessee -2.5 to Tennessee +2.5. The picks: Tennessee +2.5 and Tennessee on the moneyline (+112). I think they win it outright too.

My pick for Tennessee at South Carolina, on video.

Read the full column at TriStar Daily: https://tristardaily.com/tennessee-found-its-identity-saturday-as-it-smoked-bama/

Get my columns by email: https://jeremydurham.substack.com

October 19, 2026
Tennessee vs. Alabama: Too Many Points at Neyland

Alabama comes to Neyland without Ryan Coleman-Williams, its best receiver, and probably without its starting center. If sophomore Mal Waldrep gets the call, his first career start at center comes in front of 101,915 people.

Meanwhile, Xavier Gilliam has 10 tackles for loss through six games, and George MacIntyre gets the start at quarterback. The line opened at 6.5, climbed to 8.5 and came back down to 7.5 after the injury news. It still isn’t down far enough.

The pick: Tennessee +7.5. Alabama 24, Tennessee 21. Season record against the spread: 2-1.

Read the full column at TriStar Daily: https://tristardaily.com/bama-week-part-2-too-many-points-at-neyland/

Get my columns by email: https://jeremydurham.substack.com

October 16, 2026
Five and a Fade, NFL Week 6: Bad Offenses and Short Weeks

Five NFL games I like, one where the crowd is wrong, and a running record so you can hold me to it. That’s Five and a Fade, my new weekly NFL picks column at TriStar Daily, and we always start with the Titans.

The five: Titans at Colts under 44, Broncos +2.5 against Seattle on Thursday night, Jaguars -2.5 against Houston in London, Steelers -2.5 at Tampa Bay and Giants +1.5 against the Saints.

The Fade: Bears -3.5 at Atlanta. The public loves Chicago again, but if Caleb Williams can’t go, that’s a lot of points on the road with a backup quarterback. Take the Falcons +3.5.

Read the full column at TriStar Daily: https://tristardaily.com/five-and-a-fade-nfl-week-6-bad-offenses-and-short-weeks/

Get my columns by email: https://jeremydurham.substack.com

October 16, 2026
Five and a Fade, College Edition: Underdog Saturday

Five college games I like, one where the crowd is wrong, and a running record so you can hold me to it. That’s the new college edition of Five and a Fade at TriStar Daily, and week one is all underdogs.

The five: Mississippi State +10.5 at LSU, Kentucky +6.5 at Oklahoma, Indiana +3.5 against Ohio State, BYU +12.5 against Notre Dame and Arkansas +6.5 at Vanderbilt.

The Fade: Auburn +18.5 against Georgia. Georgia wins this game. Three touchdowns is just a lot. The Vols get their own column, so they’re not on this list.

Read the full column at TriStar Daily: https://tristardaily.com/five-and-a-fade-college-edition-underdog-saturday/

Get my columns by email: https://jeremydurham.substack.com

October 13, 2026
Tennessee vs. Alabama: Orange vs. Crimson, 56 Years to the Day

On Oct. 17, 1970, Tennessee wore orange, Alabama wore crimson, and the Vols won 24-0. This Saturday is Oct. 17 again, and both teams will be wearing the same colors at Neyland.

My Alabama week column at TriStar Daily walks through the series: Alabama’s 60-40-7 lead and its 15-game streak, the runs under Phillip Fulmer and Johnny Majors, and the 52-49 game in 2022 that changed everything. Since then, the home team has won every meeting.

Alabama comes in angry after a 20-17 loss to Georgia. Tennessee is 5-1, with questions about Faizon Brandon’s shoulder. The pick comes Saturday. For now, I’d settle for a win by one.

Read the full column at TriStar Daily: https://tristardaily.com/orange-vs-crimson-56-years-to-the-day/

Get my columns by email: https://jeremydurham.substack.com

October 13, 2026
Tennessee High School Football at Midseason: Polls, Recruits and the Next Wave

Halfway through the season, four of the state’s nine No. 1 teams are in Middle Tennessee: Riverdale, Page, Battle Ground Academy and Nashville Christian. Baylor is the best team in the state, and it isn’t close.

My midseason report at TriStar Daily has the top five in all nine classes, the state’s top 10 seniors (half of them are committed to Tennessee), where every in-state Vols and Vanderbilt commit is playing right now, and the juniors to watch, starting with Springfield cornerback Jermaine Cobbins.

Read the full report at TriStar Daily: https://tristardaily.com/football-update-middle-tennessee-owns-the-polls-and-the-vols-own-the-recruits/

Get my columns by email: https://jeremydurham.substack.com

October 9, 2026
Dodgers-Brewers NLCS: Close Isn’t the Same as Even

Milwaukee had the best record in baseball, home field and the season series. On paper, this Brewers team is better than the one the Dodgers beat in last year’s NLCS.

My NLCS preview at TriStar Daily walked through why I still like Los Angeles: the rotation depth, an offense that nearly matched Milwaukee’s run total, and a guy named Ohtani who can end a series on his own. Game 3 is where I think it turns.

The picks: Dodgers to win the series, Dodgers in six for the bigger payday, and Dodgers to three-peat. (I’m 1-0 this postseason, so I’m feeling brave.)

Read the full column at TriStar Daily: https://tristardaily.com/same-dodgers-same-brewers-same-ending/

Get my columns by email: https://jeremydurham.substack.com

October 9, 2026
Vols at Arkansas: A First Start in the Worst Possible Place

Tennessee hasn’t won in Fayetteville since 2001. So naturally that’s where a redshirt freshman from Brentwood Academy got his first career start.

My TriStar Daily preview made the case that George MacIntyre didn’t have to win this game by himself. Tennessee’s defense led the country in sacks, the running game was rolling, and Arkansas had been getting run over by good teams. The quarterback just needed to not be the story.

The pick: Tennessee 38, Arkansas 10. Vols -13.5. I came in 2-0 against the spread.

Read the full column at TriStar Daily: https://tristardaily.com/a-ba-kid-a-25-year-curse-and-a-teo-touchdown-line/

Get my columns by email: https://jeremydurham.substack.com

October 6, 2026
Dodgers-Braves: Why Atlanta Needed a Knockout

I’m a Dodgers fan. I’m also a boxing fan, and boxing has a simple rule: you don’t take the belt from the champ on points.

My NLDS preview at TriStar Daily argued Atlanta couldn’t win a close series against the defending champs. The Braves hit lefties poorly all year, and the Dodgers were lining up two lefty starters to open it. Atlanta’s rotation was beaten up behind Chris Sale, and the Dodgers’ depth meant there was no single star to pitch around.

The pick: Dodgers in four. (It cashed.)

Read the full column at TriStar Daily: https://tristardaily.com/braves-dodgers-nlds-preview-to-beat-the-champ-you-have-to-knock-him-out/

Get my columns by email: https://jeremydurham.substack.com

October 2, 2026

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Jeremy Durham

Sports columnist at TriStar Daily. Real estate investor. Brentwood dad of two.

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