It took a while to get going, but No. 3 Alabama hit its stride in the second half and blew out Tennessee 37-6 on Saturday, setting up a matchup of unbeaten national title contenders against LSU in two weeks.

The Crimson Tide (8-0, 4-0 SEC) has won five straight meetings against Tennessee, and the Vols have scored 17 or fewer points in their past eight games against Alabama.

Tennessee (3-4, 0-4 SEC) held its own for a half, scoring first and tying it at 6 before halftime. The game turned in the third quarter, when Alabama stopped the Vols on fourth-and-1 to take over at the Tennessee 39 and A.J. McCarron hit Kenny Bell for a touchdown pass on the next play to make it 20-6.

McCarron threw an interception on his second pass attempt of the night, snapping a streak of 152 consecutive passes without an interception — the third-longest streak in school history.

Alabama's Trent Richardson had his streak of six consecutive 100-yard rushing games snapped, but he scored a pair of second-half touchdowns.

The Vols' offense stalled in the second half, as senior Matt Simms struggled in his second start in place of injured sophomore Tyler Bray. Simms was 8 of 17 for 58 yards with an interception before true freshman Justin Worley took over in the fourth quarter, burning his redshirt.

Tennessee turned the ball over on Worley's first play, as Marlin Lane lost a fumble after a clean handoff from Worley. Worley did not attempt a pass.

Alabama has won seven of its eight games by 28 points or more. The Crimson Tide has held six of their eight opponents to 10 points or less, a feat they have accomplished 30 times during coach Nick Saban's 57-game tenure.

Tennessee has lost six consecutive road games against SEC West opponents.