Tennessee is back in the spotlight quickly after its 20-17 loss to top-ranked Texas, and the next challenge comes right back in SEC play. The Vols will return home to face Auburn, led by former Tennessee offensive coordinator and current head coach Alex Golesh.
The matchup finds Tennessee at 3-1 overall and 0-1 in the SEC, with its best win coming on the road at Georgia Tech. Auburn arrives at 3-1 and 1-1 in conference play, carrying a home loss to Florida and wins over Baylor and Vanderbilt.
DraftKings updated the betting line Sunday morning and installed Tennessee as a 7.5-point favorite at home. The Vols are listed at -285 on the moneyline, while Auburn sits at +230.
The over/under is set at 56.5 points, a number that points toward a game in the range of 32-25 for Tennessee.
For the Vols, the biggest concern is simple: the offense has to find its footing again. Tennessee’s defense gave Texas fits, but the offense couldn’t keep pace, and the Longhorns finished with a huge 10 sacks. After the game, Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel pointed directly at the issues.
“It’ll be a bunch of everything,” Heupel said. “O-line has got to be better, can be better.
At times we were giving up pressure off of chip protection. We have to be able to execute that better.
There were times when the quarterback’s eyes, decision-making, not getting rid of it when there’s opportunities to get rid of it. Combining all that together and you have that personnel on the other side, you just can’t play that way.”
In Other News...
Tennessee Texas Finish Just Got An Official Officiating Twist
The Southeastern Conference added an officiating wrinkle to Tennessees loss to Texas, saying the Volunteers drop-kick onside attempt was handled incorrectly. The league said the kick should have drawn a five-yard penalty and a replay of the down because it was taken from behind the required 35-yard line, a violation of free-kick rules.
Even so, the correction does not change the result of Texas 20-17 win over Tennessee. For the Volunteers, it leaves one more frustrating detail attached to a game already decided by a narrow margin, even if the official ruling stops short of altering the final scoreboard. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessees Secondary Just Took Another Brutal Hit Before Auburn
Tennessees secondary is dealing with another setback heading into Auburn, with sophomore defensive back Dylan Lewis expected to miss the remainder of the 2026 season because of a foot injury he suffered against Kennesaw State. Lewis had already been listed as out in SEC availability reports before the Texas game, and he was later seen in a walking boot, a clear sign the injury was serious enough to keep him sidelined for an extended stretch.
For a defense already managing other season-ending injuries in the back end, losing Lewis only tightens the margin for error. The Vols have had to keep adjusting their depth and rotations in the secondary, and now they head into the Auburn matchup with another important piece unavailable, leaving the coaching staff to sort out how to patch together a group that has been hit hard. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Fans Are Stuck On One Faizon Brandon Debate
Tennessees loss to Texas left plenty of fingerprints on the offense, but the loudest postgame debate has centered on Faizon Brandon and how much of the struggle was really on the quarterback. Brandon finished 17 of 29 for 145 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions, yet the bigger number was the sacks, with Tennessees protection breaking down often enough to make the whole night feel hurried and uneven.
Film analyst Brooks Austin pushed back on the idea that Brandon alone was responsible, pointing to a shaky run game and the lines problems up front as part of the picture. Josh Heupel sounded similarly measured, saying Brandon may have been sped up and stressing that the answer has to come from more than one player. For Tennessee, the uncomfortable part is that the debate is still open, and the film may only deepen it. [Read more 🡒]