It’s a beautiful weekend for some College Football! This one takes us deep into SEC country in Knoxville, Tennessee. Neyland Stadium will be rocking as the #14 Volunteers host the #1 team in the country. Texas took down Ohio State at home a few weeks ago to take the top seat in the standings. Now, they’ll look to keep it in a tough road game. Let’s take a look at Texas vs. Tennessee picks, predictions, best bets, and a preview of the game.
Location: Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tennessee
Date: Saturday, September 26th, 2026
Stream: ABC
Time: 12:00 PM ET, 9:00 AM PT
Spread: Texas -4 (-112), Tennessee +4.5 (-102)
Total: Over 55.5 (+100), Under 55.5 (+100)
Moneyline: Texas -178, Tennessee +174
Texas vs Tennessee Picks, Prediction, Best Bets, and Preview
As mentioned above, two weeks ago the Texas Longhorns welcomed the #1 Ohio State Buckeyes into Darrell K Royal Stadium. Ohio State jumped up early, leading 20-3 at halftime and 23-3 at the end of the third quarter. Arch Manning led the comeback as the Longhorns went on to win 24-23. Their other two wins came over Texas State and UTSA. Tennessee has wins over Furman, Georgia Tech, and Kennesaw State. They haven’t had the warm-up that Texas has when it comes to power opponents.
How Texas Covers -4 (-112)
The Longhorns are battle-tested. They took on the #1 team, a really good Ohio State football team. It took them a Buckeye meltdown, but it also took composure for the Longhorns to put it together and come all the way back. They need to get after freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon and rattle him in his first SEC start. They also need to protect Arch Manning. Tennessee’s pass rush is elite, and they’ll be after Arch, trying to rattle him.
How Tennessee Covers +4.5 (-102)
For Tennessee, it’s the opposite. Faizon Brandon is a five-star recruit who has all the weapons. Now, we get to see what he’s made of. The Volunteers need to protect Brandon. Then, that elite defensive pass rush needs to get after Arch Manning and get him rattled. The secondary needs to contain the dangerous Longhorn wide receivers. Texas is beatable, and they proved it in that Ohio State game.
Game Total: Under 55.5 (+100)
This clash has me feeling the under. Texas has a stout defense, and Tennessee’s is strong as well. Both offenses want to slow this game down and establish the run. For Texas, you don’t want to get into a shootout and put it all on Arch to get it done. For Tennessee, they have an 18-year-old true freshman making his first-ever start in the SEC, and it’s against the #1 team. The last thing they want is to make him have to duel with Arch in a shootout against this Longhorn defense.
Desean Bishop Over 8.5 Receiving Yards (-110)
While slowing the ball down and establishing the run will be huge. It also means getting the ball in the hands of your playmakers. The Volunteers have two stud running backs. Once they get the run established, it’s time to work the ball into those playmakers’ hands as much as possible. Bishop was dealing with a minor injury, but he’s off the report now and looks ready to go. The Junior running back had one catch each in both the Georgia Tech and Kennesaw State games. Both went for 15 yards. When they get him worked in the passing game, he shows up big. They’ll need that if they want to upset the Longhorns Saturday.
Tennessee +4.5 (-102)
This is more me buying into Texas not being as good as everyone thinks. Archie Manning and his Longhorns struggled big time on the road last season. They lost 14-7 at Ohio State. Then in the SEC schedule, a bad Florida Gators team took them down at The Swamp. The Kentucky Wildcats took them to overtime, as did the Mississippi Bulldogs. In both games, Texas was favored by well over a touchdown. Georgia stomped them in Athens 35-10. Yes, this team beat Ohio State, but again, it took the comeback to do it. They’ve earned the #1 ranking for now, but they need to prove they are the #1 team this week, and we’ve yet to see that outside of the friendly confines of home.
Tennessee has a legit two-headed monster in the running game with DeSean Bishop and Daune Morris. Tennessee quarterback Faizon Brandon will be the difference in this one. He’s been efficient so far this season, but hasn’t faced a defense like Texas. If he can manage this game and let the run game and Volunteer defense do their thing, the Volunteers can take down this #1 team. Add in a rabid Volunteers crowd, and I’ll take the Vols to at least keep it close.
