It’s game day in Knoxville and Bryce Young watch is reaching a climax. Two weeks after injuring his right shoulder at Arkansas, we’ll find out soon enough if the reigning Heisman Trophy winner will play at 2:30 p.m. CT against Tennessee.

Young is “expected to start” if everything goes as planned in warmups,” ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Saturday morning on College GameDay. That aligns with previous reporting 14 days after spraining his right shoulder in Fayetteville. Saban on Friday told ESPN that Young feels like he’s healthy enough to play against No. 6 Tennessee.

“We guarded his throwing,” Saban said on College GameDay on Saturday morning. “We had him on a pitch count, which was limited. He was able to practice. This is the kind of injury — it’s almost like a pitcher having a sore arm — you don’t want him to do too much and you want to give him the best chance to get better so we’ll evaluate him in the pregame.”

The renewed optimism surrounding Young’s status certainly had an impact on the betting lines. Where Alabama was a 7-point favorite midweek, the number jumped as high as nine points Saturday morning at sportsbooks including Caesar’s in Las Vegas.

A few other headlines from Saturday morning also had an impact. Thamel reported Tennessee star receiver Cedric Tillman and starting safety Jaylen McCollough won’t play Saturday. Tillman suffered a high-ankle sprain last month and hasn’t played in weeks while McCollough was arrested last week on felony assault charges.

Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.