Alabama heads into the Third Saturday in October with an undefeated record after dispatching Texas A&M 47-28 over the weekend. The No. 1 Crimson Tide (6-0, 3-0 in the SEC) will now host bitter rival Tennessee (2-4, 1-2) on Saturday at 8 p.m. CT inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama is currently a 34.5-point favorite over the Volunteers, according to VegasInsider.com.

Today, we will break down where Alabama stands heading into this week’s game by providing three observations, two questions and one prediction.

DeVonta Smith will watch the first half of Saturday’s game from the sidelines. Nick Saban didn’t wait for the SEC to dole out a punishment to his star receiver, announcing the decision himself during his Monday news conference.

Smith was ejected from last week’s game against Texas A&M for throwing a punch during the fourth quarter. The incident occurred after Texas A&M safety Leon O’Neal threw the Alabama receiver to the ground before delivering the first punch. Smith retaliated with a punch of his own. While both players were penalized, only Smith was ejected.

“The fact that Smitty got kicked out of the last game for retaliation is something that really can’t be tolerated and I think is a lesson that all players need to learn from in terms of you can’t make emotional decisions on the field,” Saban said. “You can’t do what you feel like doing. You have to have enough discipline to walk away even if you’re provoked into something you don’t like. He will be disciplined in the next game. That’s our decision to do what we need to do to help him make better choices and decisions in the future.

“Smitty’s a great guy. He’s one of the best guys, hardest workers, does everything right, but it doesn’t make any difference. When you make emotional decisions, you don’t have a brain, you make bad decisions, sometimes they lead to consequences.”

Saban previously suspended Smith as well as outside linebacker Terrell Lewis and running backs Najee Harris and Brian Robinson Jr. for the first quarter of the season-opener against Duke after the quartet failed to attend a team function. The head coach said Smith’s offense last week warranted harsher discipline.