George MacIntyre starts for Tennessee vs. Alabama Saturday

The availability report gave Josh Heupel a choice on Friday night, and the reporting says he's sticking with the guy who finished the last 2 games.

Pete Nakos

@PeteNakos

Tennessee QB Faizon Brandon will be available tomorrow against Alabama, but the Vols are set to start QB George MacIntyre. t.co/C2Yivwl0i7

On3@On3

NEW: Tennessee is set to start QB George MacIntyre against Alabama on Saturday, @PeteNakos and @Clowfb report. t.co/uPkHSSqDCX

This is the part that matters. Brandon was banged up, and now he isn't. He was carrying a shoulder injury that Heupel said affected him against Auburn, and he sat on the report as questionable all week. Then he came off it completely.

Pete Thamel

@PeteThamel

Faizon Brandon is off the Tennessee availability report

So it isn't an injury call anymore. It's a football call. MacIntyre took over in the middle of the Auburn game and kept the job for Arkansas, going 18-of-29 for 247 yards with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions in the win. Not perfect. Heupel still liked what he saw, calling him decisive with the football and saying he went to the right spot. Heupel's message was that the whole team has to protect the ball better, not just the QB. Saturday will be MacIntyre's 2nd career start, and it comes against the best team Tennessee has seen all year.

Alabama's side of the report is ugly too. Delgatty got hurt in last week's loss to Georgia, went from questionable to doubtful to out, and he had started at center in every game this season. Taking the starting center out of a road game at Neyland is no small thing. Snap count and protection calls get a lot harder in that building.

Pete Nakos

@PeteNakos

Alabama starting center Racin Delgatty is not expected to play at Tennessee tomorrow, sources tell @On3. WR Ryan Coleman-Williams and DL Terrance Green have already been ruled out. t.co/C2Yivwl0i7

Kalen DeBoer has said Mal Waldrep and Casey Poe are getting extra reps at center. Ryan Coleman-Williams and Terrance Green were already ruled out, and the Tide's full out list also includes linebackers Desmond Umeozulu and Cayden Jones, DB Nick Sherman and DL Jeremiah Beaman. Bama is still a No. 6 team. It just isn't showing up to Knoxville at full strength.

No. 14 Tennessee is roughly a touchdown underdog, and kickoff is 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC. The thing to watch is how short Heupel's leash is. If MacIntyre throws a couple more picks, he has a healthy former 5-star sitting next to him on the sideline, and every Vols fan in the stadium will know it. If MacIntyre plays clean against a rebuilt Bama interior, this stops being a quarterback battle and becomes his job.