It's almost go time for Tennessee vs. Texas, and quite frankly it can't come soon enough. The No. 14 Vols are understandably underdogs to take on Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns, but clearly Vegas is a bit up in arms about how to treat this game. In case you missed it, Tennessee opened as a 5.5-point underdog per the FanDuel Sportsbook, but that dropped to 3.5 shortly after.
Fast forward to the present time (Thursday morning), and that line has once again moved, with the Vols currently set at +4.5. What does this tell us? Quite clearly that a lot can change for these two teams, both before and during kickoff. With that, Tennessee could care less about the updated odds, as the sole focus is on doing everything possible to prepare to shock the world.
Odds change periodically and are subject to change.
Tennessee is currently a 4.5-point underdog to face No. 1 Texas in Week 4
With Tennessee being the home team, the odds are impacted a bit, but 4.5 does seem to be the sweet spot. That number will get thrown out the window, however, once kickoff arrives - this is going to be a seesaw battle, and the Vols are going to have to be at their best to even think about pulling off the stunner.
It all starts with how the offense looks. Faizon Brandon may be a true freshman quarterback, but Josh Heupel believes in him to step up and play beyond his years. The good news for Brandon is that stud running back DeSean Bishop was nowhere to be seen on the initial injury report, which confirms he's ready to rock and take on the Texas defense.
On the flip side, eyebrows were raised when star Texas running back Hollywood Smothers popped up as questionable due to a lower-body injury. This news came out of the blue, and there's worry that Smothers may not be able to suit up on Saturday, though we'll know more in the coming days.
The Tennessee defense and Jim Knowles will prepare the same regardless of whether Smothers can play or not. Knowles is going to have a great opportunity to prove his worth against the Longhorns; consistent pressure being put on Arch Manning needs to be a top priority for the new Tennessee defensive coordinator.
Should that recipe get put together for the Vols, then the fans at Neyland Stadium could end up leaving their seats with huge smiles on their respective faces after the final whistle. Until then, though, it's not going to be a shock to see the odds continue to change, especially once injury reports get updated.
Even if they stay the same, Tennessee is no question going to have its hands full trying to bring down Texas from the top of its perch. The Longhorns are the No. 1 team in the country for a reason, which they'll be ready to back in Knoxville. It's on Tennessee to humble them a bit, and we'll all find out soon enough if Heupel and Co. will be able to get that job done or not.
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