for what it's worth
No. 11 Tennessee at South Carolina (3:30 p.m., ESPN)
In August, my take on Tennessee was that the Vols would have an excellent run game and major defensive potential with the addition of coordinator Jim Knowles and some high-upside transfers. But they had major unknowns at quarterback, where Josh Heupel was going with blue-chip freshman Faizon Brandon. Seven games into 2026, the Vols indeed have an excellent run game and defense, but QB remains a mystery with George MacIntyre having replaced a struggling Brandon.
MacIntyre avoided mistakes and allowed running back DeSean Bishop and the dominant Tennessee defense to carry a 26-10 win over Alabama last week, and as long as he's not facing a major onus to make plays, Tennessee could contend in the SEC. But South Carolina has scored 72 points in its last two games and throttled Florida before taking a bye last week. Sharp bettors picked the Gamecocks enough to flip the betting line sharply in their favor.
South Carolina's run game, so poor in 2025, is clicking and taking pressure off quarterback LaNorris Sellers. Meanwhile, the Gamecocks defend the run well enough to potentially put the game in MacIntyre's hands. This is a nice test for the sudden contenders from Knoxville.
Current line: SC -2.5 (flipped from Vols -2.5 on Sunday) | SP+ projection: Vols by 5.0 | FPI projection: Vols by 3.4
www.espn.com
No. 11 Tennessee at South Carolina (3:30 p.m., ESPN)
In August, my take on Tennessee was that the Vols would have an excellent run game and major defensive potential with the addition of coordinator Jim Knowles and some high-upside transfers. But they had major unknowns at quarterback, where Josh Heupel was going with blue-chip freshman Faizon Brandon. Seven games into 2026, the Vols indeed have an excellent run game and defense, but QB remains a mystery with George MacIntyre having replaced a struggling Brandon.
MacIntyre avoided mistakes and allowed running back DeSean Bishop and the dominant Tennessee defense to carry a 26-10 win over Alabama last week, and as long as he's not facing a major onus to make plays, Tennessee could contend in the SEC. But South Carolina has scored 72 points in its last two games and throttled Florida before taking a bye last week. Sharp bettors picked the Gamecocks enough to flip the betting line sharply in their favor.
South Carolina's run game, so poor in 2025, is clicking and taking pressure off quarterback LaNorris Sellers. Meanwhile, the Gamecocks defend the run well enough to potentially put the game in MacIntyre's hands. This is a nice test for the sudden contenders from Knoxville.
Current line: SC -2.5 (flipped from Vols -2.5 on Sunday) | SP+ projection: Vols by 5.0 | FPI projection: Vols by 3.4
Connelly previews Week 8: SEC elimination games, tests for top 2 and more
Ole Miss, Tennessee and LSU face road challenges, while Miami and BYU try to avoid the upset bug.
www.espn.com
