The SEC has settled the timing for Tennessee’s trip to College Station. The No.
9 Volunteers will face Texas A&M on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. ET, with ESPN carrying the game.
Tennessee heads into the matchup fresh off a 34-6 win over Kentucky, while Texas A&M is trying to recover from a 17-9 loss at South Carolina. The meeting lands as the third-to-last game on the regular-season schedule for both teams.
The Vols and Aggies have met only five times, and Tennessee owns the edge in the series at 3-2. The lone Tennessee visit to College Station came in 2016, when Texas A&M pulled out a 45-28 overtime win.
Their history stretches back to the 1957 Gator Bowl, a 3-0 Tennessee victory in Jacksonville, FL. The teams met again in the 2005 Cotton Bowl, where Tennessee rolled to a 38-7 win in Dallas, TX.
Texas A&M answered with wins in 2016 and again in 2020, when the Aggies beat Tennessee 34-13 in Knoxville. Tennessee got the latest word in 2023, with Joe Milton at quarterback in a 20-13 win in Knoxville.
Texas A&M is in its third season under head coach Mike Elko, but the year has been a rough one. The Aggies are 4-5 and well outside playoff contention. Their wins have come against Missouri State, Arizona State, Arkansas, and the Citadel, while losses have piled up against Kentucky, LSU, Missouri, Alabama, and South Carolina.
The path to a bowl game is still there, but it’s narrow. Texas A&M needs two wins in its final three games, and the stretch includes two ranked opponents: Tennessee and Texas.
Tennessee, meanwhile, moved to 7-2 after taking down Kentucky. The game stayed tight through three quarters, but the Vols kept landing shots until the Wildcats broke in the fourth. Tennessee closed with the game’s final two touchdowns and outscored Kentucky 24-0 in the second half after leading 10-6 at halftime.
The Vols’ playoff picture remains in their own hands. If they win out against Texas A&M, LSU, and Vanderbilt, they’re in the 12-team field.
Drop one, and the road gets a lot more complicated. Tennessee has been leaning on strong defense, and the way it has played lately gives it plenty of momentum entering November.
As of Monday morning, Tennessee is a 2.5-point favorite over Texas A&M.
In Other News...
Tennessee Just Took A Defensive Hit Vols Fans Feared
Tyree Weathersbys night ended early after the Tennessee defensive lineman suffered an apparent left-leg injury during the game and did not return. It was a frustrating development for a player who has been one of the Vols most important front-line pieces this season, bringing pressure and production with 8.5 sacks and 19 tackles while helping anchor a defense that has leaned on him heavily.
Even though his absence did not change the outcome of the game, it leaves Tennessee with a more immediate concern heading into the next stretch. The Vols have counted on Weathersbys ability to disrupt plays in the backfield, and any extended time without him would test a defensive depth chart that now has to prove it can hold up if the injury lingers. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon Suddenly Has A Real Opening After Wild AP Poll Chaos
The first College Football Playoff rankings already added a wrinkle to the national picture, and the AP Top 25 could be headed for its own shakeup after a chaotic weekend across the sport. USC landed at No. 20 in the CFP release even though it sat higher in the AP poll, a reminder that the two rankings can tell very different stories when the committee and voters weigh results differently.
For Tennessee fans watching the national board, the bigger takeaway is how much movement is still ahead after several top-10 teams stumbled, including Ohio State and Kentucky. USC is likely to climb a bit when the AP voters reset their ballots, but the real intrigue is how the ripple effects could open the door for teams near the top of the race as the rankings start to settle into a new order. [Read more 🡒]
Joe Miltons First Eagles Start Raised A Tough Question For Vols Fans
Joe Milton III got his first NFL start for the Philadelphia Eagles because Jalen Hurts was sidelined by injury, and it offered Tennessee fans a familiar face in an unfamiliar spot. The former Volunteers quarterback was thrust into the spotlight against the New York Giants, where he showed the same big-arm tools that made him such an intriguing pro prospect while also taking on the full weight of a starting assignment.
Milton finished 18 of 34 for 169 yards and added 64 rushing yards on nine carries, but the outing also came with seven sacks and a fumble in a loss for Philadelphia. For Vols fans, the bigger question now is whether this was just a one-game detour or the start of a longer run, since it is still unclear if Milton will keep the job for the rest of the season. [Read more 🡒]