ESPN’s College GameDay is heading to Knoxville on Saturday, and the early read from its podcast crew leans toward the home side.
The show will broadcast from outside Ayers Hall on Tennessee’s campus for the first two hours before moving inside Neyland Stadium for the final hour ahead of the Noon kickoff between No. 14 Tennessee and No.
1 Texas. That ABC matchup has already drawn a clear split from the College GameDay podcast panel, and two of the three hosts are backing the Vols.
Dan Wetzel was the first to plant his flag on Tennessee.
“I think Tennessee can spring this upset,” Wetzel said. “I don’t know what the spread is, but I’m going to take Tennessee at home.
I think it’s going to be super charged up, fired up deal. I’m going to take the Vols in what I would say is an upset.”
Wetzel pointed to the challenge Texas will face in its first SEC road environment of the year, while also raising questions about Tennessee’s ability to get enough pressure on Arch Manning and whether the Vols can run the ball well enough to keep Manning’s offense on the sideline.
Pete Thamel joined him on Tennessee, saying the atmosphere at Neyland is enough to sway his pick.
“I’m not going to bet on it - we don’t bet anyway - but I will take Rocky Top, in that environment,” Thamel said. “Man, Rece, I think back to that Alabama game - you and I watched in on the sideline. I mean, when that place is lit up, it’s spectacular.”
Thamel also questioned the Texas offense and Manning’s play, especially away from home.
“The Texas offense, other than one spectacular quarter against Ohio State, has been pretty pedestrian,” Thamel said. “And Arch Manning has just been okay.
Now, he was awesome for that one quarter, but he’s really struggled on the road in his career. And he struggles because he’s inaccurate.
I have not seen a jump yet from him in accuracy. I think he completed 50% of his passes against UTSA.
Remember, he’s 2-3 as a starter on the road. And the two wins were at Kentucky and at Mississippi State, games that were pulled out of the fire mostly due to special teams bursts.”
Rece Davis was the lone voice on the other side, picking Texas in what he expects to be a “low-scoring, defensive game.” Even so, Davis acknowledged that Steve Sarkisian has had some issues at times against Jim Knowles-led defenses.
For Tennessee, the early ESPN read is simple: the crowd is loud enough, and the Vols have enough believers in the room to make Saturday feel like more than just a No. 1-versus-No. 14 showdown.
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