You'd think after beating then No. 6 Kentucky, Tennessee would be ready to barely break a sweat against the lowly Texas A&M Aggies. Unfortunately, the Vegas oddsmakers seem to think a seesaw battle is on the way come Saturday afternoon in College Station.
According to the FanDuel sportsbook, the Vols are only favored by 2.5 points on the road against the Aggies. Sound familiar? Last month, Tennessee opened as a 2.5-point favorite against South Carolina, ultimately suffering a back-breaking 27-24 loss.
That defeat nearly ruined the season for the Vols, which came after beating Alabama in Knoxville. So, a loss to South Carolina after beating a Top 10 team, and now another potential trap game is here after smoking Kentucky? Sorry, but I just don't feel great about this, and it's on Heupel and his playmakers to make sure history doesn't repeat itself.
Tennessee will have to overcome the Tyree Weathersby loss to handle Marcel Reed and Texas A&M
The start to the week couldn't have gone much worse for the Vols, as it was announced that superstar pass-rusher Tyree Weathersby is out for the season with a knee injury. That sucks, and it's a major blow for defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.
One player doesn't make or break the entire defensive front, but Weathersby has been a man on a mission in 2026. And although Marcel Reed has done nothing to live up to his Heisman hype this fall, letting him scan the field/get into a groove could be an issue for the Vols as a whole.
Again, this feels similar to what happened with the Gamecocks, as LaNorris Sellers ended up having a pretty dang strong performance against Tennessee. South Carolina is now 6-3 this season, ranked No. 17 by the CFP Committee.
Texas A&M has been in struggle city in '26, falling to 4-5 after last week's L to South Carolina. Despite that, the spread being set at only 2.5 points is something that can't be ignored, especially with A&M's 12th man set to make life difficult for young QB George MacIntyre.
Aaron Murray showed how George MacIntyre held the safety with his eyes before making the throw to Radarious Jackson pic.twitter.com/aYBmlUbNgi
— zach ragan (@zachTNT) November 12, 2026
G-Mac did more of the same against Kentucky, managing the game pretty well and not forcing the ball. He finished completing 9 of 14 pass attempts for 125 yards, no touchdowns, and no interceptions. He led the rushing attack take over like normal, with DeSean Bishop and Daune Morris combining for 194 yards, with three touchdowns.
More of that recipe will be needed against the Aggies if Tennessee wants to improve to 8-2 for the year. This game is not going to be a simple one, and the Vols will have to play mistake-free ball to ensure a tough road win gets posted. Penalties have to be at a minimum. I'm not saying the Vols are going to lose this one, but there's no room for errors. If Tennessee reverts to how it played against the Gamecocks, then another tough result will arrive, but this time it'll kill off any CFP hopes that remain.
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