While no one should be looking ahead to Week 12, Tennessee will be getting ready to host LSU next Saturday at Neyland Stadium, and nothing will be better than humbling Lane Kiffin and his bro yoga pants. Leading up to Nov. 21, it has been announced that kickoff between the two SEC powerhouses will take place at 3:30 p.m. What, no night game in Knoxville?
Yes, on paper, there might be plenty of disappointment that the bright lights are not going to be on the Vols and Tigers squaring off in a contest that will have a major say in whether or not Tennessee plays in the College Football Playoff.
At the same time, who cares? Mid-November in Knoxville, it's going to get dark by the second half anyways. And, let's not forget that the 3:30 p.m. start for the Alabama game, which also had people a bit angry, led to an unforgettable day on campus, with a 26-10 win getting posted. More of the same against the Tigers?
Tennessee vs. LSU will be a chance for Lane Kiffin to keep getting humbled
First, and no one has forgotten about it, the Vols will have to take care of business against Texas A&M this weekend. Assuming they do, the meeting with LSU indeed could potentially decide whether or not Tennessee is dancin' so to speak into the Playoff. At the same time, just imagine being able to keep ruining Kiffin's debut season in Baton Rouge.
In Week 10, LSU hosted Alabama, but the Crimson Tide fully destroyed Kiffin and Co. It was a complete and total domination, which is probably why Tennessee vs. LSU isn't going to be in a primetime slot. If anything, people can be mad at Kiffin for no night game, as the Tigers dropped the ball there in a major way.
On the flip side of things, Tennessee torched Kentucky, moving up to No. 9 in the new AP Poll. A similar jump for the second edition of the CFP rankings should be on the way as well. LSU dropped to No. 24, barely avoiding getting kicked out of the AP Poll altogether. That would have been sweet to see, but there's still more time to make that happen.
up to 9 in the AP poll#GBO 🍊 pic.twitter.com/kdIidO5PDh
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) November 8, 2026
With all the offseason drama surrounding quarterback Sam Leavitt, too, taking down LSU is going to be so much fun for Josh Heupel and his players regardless of what time this one gets started. And again, a victory will have the Vols 60 minutes away from the College Football Playoff, as only Vanderbilt will be standing in their way.
Leading up to the season, not many people gave this group a shot of reaching the Playoff, but it's now very much in the cards, while Tennessee beating LSU could add yet another black eye to the Tigers' 2026.
So, once game day does arrive, Vols fans will head to Neyland, pack the stands, and make the same kind of impact that had Kentucky's Mikkel Skinner claiming fake noise was used. Kiffin knows how electric Knoxville can get with more than 100,000 people jacked up to make his life miserable. Come Week 12, he'll be getting a not-so-friendly reminder of that.
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