The uncertainty is over, with Tennessee ready to give second-year quarterback George MacIntyre his second-career start. News broke via Pete Thamel on Thursday morning that G-Mac is getting the nod over Faizon Brandon, which is surely going to have people talking leading up to kickoff at Neyland Stadium and beyond.
Was this the right call by Heupel? I think so, and plenty of other people seem to agree. When it comes to the betting line, the Vols opened as 6.5-point underdogs, but that line exploded to 8.5 earlier in the week. Once the MacIntyre news dropped, however, it has quickly dropped to 7.5 per the FanDuel Sportsbook. The timing isn't a coincidence, as while Alabama is expected to post a big-time SEC win, few can argue that, for now, MacIntyre gives this team the best chance to win.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
Sources: George MacIntyre is set to start for No. 14 Tennessee against No. 6 Alabama this weekend, which will be his second-straight week as starter. Faizon Brandon was listed as questionable for the Volunteers. pic.twitter.com/ganHwUzTVM
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 15, 2026
Tennessee and George MacIntyre must play close to perfect to take down Alabama
What makes this all the more interesting is that despite working his way back from a bum shoulder, Brandon saw more and more work running with the 1s this week during practice. Leading up to the Arkansas game, he was limited, with Heupel saying postgame that the plan from the start was for the 5-star freshman to only be used in an emergency situation.
That changed in a big way for Alabama week, however, with Brandon clearly much healthier and fighting to start. He may have won that battle during fall camp, but he's been a bit off in recent weeks, leading to MacIntyre getting his shot.
The Tennessee native has taken full advantage of that. Against Auburn, MacIntyre replaced a struggling Brandon to help the Vols record a win. Then against the Razorbacks, MacIntyre threw for 247 yards and a touchdown to make sure Tennessee took down the Hogs on the road for the first time in 25 years. That can't be ignored.
His two interceptions against Arkansas also can't be ignored, as MacIntyre is going to have to step his game up in a monstrous way if the Vols want to post an upset. It's going to be incredibly difficult for him with the way Alabama's defense has looked this campaign, but there's a reason Heupel trusts MacIntyre a little bit more than Brandon for this heavyweight bout.
Speaking of defense, Tennessee's unit will have to live in the backfield to throw Keelon Russell off his game. That's where Penn State transfer Xavier Gilliam can come in to keep operating at a high level. If anything, both sides of the ball will have to bring their A-game for Tennessee to even think about stealing this one away from the Crimson Tide.
It's, of course, not going to be easy, but this is the kind of matchup the guys inside the locker room have been waiting a long time for. That list includes MacIntyre, who grew up watching the Third Saturday in October religiously. That's only going to give him extra motivation to silence the doubters.
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