With the greatest of respect for Vanderbilt, but not really, the upcoming matchup against LSU for Tennessee is going to be what decides whether the Vols reach the College Football Playoff. At 6-4, the Tigers have totally underwhelmed this season, but Lane Kiffin and Co. are going to be ticked off in Knoxville next weekend.
Is that going to lead to a potential upset of the Vols, which would crush any hope of getting to the Playoff? That's what the Vegas oddsmakers seem to think is on the table. According to the FanDuel Sportsbook, LSU has opened as 1.5-point favorites, which is not what we saw coming. However, on paper, it might make sense, as George MacIntyre is dealing with a knee injury. It's totally up in the air whether he or Faizon Brandon will start in Week 12.
Tennessee opening as 1.5-point underdogs against LSU was not on our bingo card
On Sunday, Pete Nakos reported that MacIntyre is not expected to miss any time with his knee injury. However, with him banged up and not at 100 percent, the door will remain open for Brandon to potentially get his first start in over a month. Knowing Heupel, he won't make his QB1 decision known until much later in the week.
That's not the only concern facing the Vols ahead of facing the Tigers, though. Hearts dropped everywhere when star wideout Mike Matthews went down with a serious knee injury at Texas A&M. Matthews was on crutches, with a towel on his head, heading back to the locker room. He looked dejected, which only made things worse.
Hate this for Mike Matthews, looks like a right knee pic.twitter.com/ZUHNRbtBWg
— gmannVOLS (@gmannVOLS) November 14, 2026
While nothing has been confirmed as of this writing, it's not expected at all that Matthews will be healthy enough to play in Week 12. As a matter of fact, it'd be a bit of a shock if he's able to suit up again in 2026, though we'll have to wait for an official confirmation.
Assuming Matthews isn't able to play, it's going to be a major loss for the aerial attack. It'll also put even more pressure on running back DeSean Bishop to keep performing at an All-SEC level. In the 22-7 win over the Aggies, Bishop carried the ball 34 times for 97 yards. The veteran running back getting that many carries per game isn't sustainable moving forward.
At some point, MacIntyre is going to have to get the passing game going to help out, but this knee issue is only going to complicate that a bit for both him and Heupel. Looking at all of that, LSU could be ready to take advantage of Tennessee's problems on offense at Neyland Stadium come Nov. 21.
LSU blew it late against Texas on Saturday night, with Sam Leavitt tossing three interceptions. He's been as inconsistent as can be for Kiffin, but that's an area where the Vols can make the Tigers pay. For now, LSU will enter kickoff as the favorites to post a win, but Tennessee won't care about that. Instead, it will be focused on continuing to punch back at adversity - and it'd be oh so sweet to keep Kiffin's nightmare fall going at the same time. It'll be needed to save the season, too.
All lines are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
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