It's time to forget about what happened in Week 7. While Tennessee fans are still jacked up over taking down Alabama, South Carolina has an upset in mind, ready to ruin life for Josh Heupel and his players. While the Vols will enter kickoff favored to win and improve to 7-1, the opening odds might have some people worried.
According to the FanDuel Sportsbook, The Vols are only favored by 2.5 points. With South Carolina coming off of a bye and a surprising win over the Florida Gators in Week 6, the Gamecocks have some new-found confidence going up against Tennessee. This is something UT needs to eliminate early in Columbia, as this will truly be a complicated road test for the team in white and orange.
Josh Heupel knows the No. 11 Vols are in for a dogfight against South Carolina
The last time Tennessee played at South Carolina, the Vols were the No. 5 team in the country, and had one foot in for the CFP. Then, a devastating 63-38 upset was posted, ending the playoff dream for Heupel. To make everything worse, beloved Vol Hendon Hooker tore his ACL in that defeat as well. Brutal.
Heupel said he reminded his team of that loss and the sour taste it left in everyone's mouth afterwards. Motivation for Tennessee to take care of business this weekend? Maybe, but Heupel's main focus is on making sure his guys stay focused and get mentally prepared for what's going to be a tough SEC environment to play in.
“Understand the type of environment you’re getting into," Heupel said on his message to his locker room before facing the Gamecocks. "Understand the approach of your opponent. You’re stepping into a ring. You better understand your opponent and be prepared to be physical, mental, and emotional at your peak.”
Josh Heupel is making sure Tennessee understands what awaits in Columbia.
— Paige Dauer (@PaigeDauerFDP) October 20, 2026
Mike Matthews, “He showed us the picture of when they stormed the field out there and the type of energy that they're going to bring.”
After an emotional win over Alabama, the #Vols know it has to flip… pic.twitter.com/2EhXRxf8eN
It wasn't that long ago that it seemed like a forgone conclusion that Shane Beamer was going to be fired by the Gamecocks, as South Carolina opened ths season at 2-0 with non-conference cupcakes, but then lost three straight to Mississippi State, Alabama and Kentucky. With rumors flying, Beamer silenced things with the stunning upset win at The Swamp against Florida.
The Gamecocks will now be ready to make more of the same happen against the Vols, with Dylan Stewart back with the team after his short-term suspension. Stewart is one of the top pass-rushers out there, meaning the pressure is going to be on the Vols' offensive line to do its best to contain him.
That's not going to be easy, but George MacIntyre, assuming he starts, will also need to be quick with his decision making and not wait for Stewart and the rest of the South Carolina pass-rush to bring him down. Easier said than done there.
With Tennessee riding so high after the win over Alabama, too, this has a recipe for a trap game. But with the mental toughness this group has shown in '26, we can only hope Tennessee, collectively, rises to the occasion to get this done to eliminate any upset city talks for Sunday morning.
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