The Longhorns' first-ever SEC trip to Knoxville doubles as a family reunion nobody saw coming: a Manning quarterback walking into Neyland Stadium for the first time since Peyton hung it up in 1997 — except this time he's wearing burnt orange.
Bush’s Picks
TEXTENN
TEXTENN
OverUnder
Best BetTexas
Texas brings back a proven, veteran quarterback and one of the deeper receiver rooms in the country, while Tennessee is still sorting out who even takes the first snap. That kind of certainty gap at the sport's most important position is usually enough to lean on the more established team, even on the road. Tennessee's defensive overhaul under Jim Knowles gives the Vols a puncher's chance, but banking on a true freshman or redshirt freshman to beat a top-tier defense in his first road test is a lot to ask.
Texas
+Arch Manning returns with a full year of starts
+Added five-star transfer Cam Coleman at WR
+Stars Simmons, Goosby both chose to return
−Lost leading rusher Wisner and RB depth
−New DC Muschamp installing scheme on the fly
−Stumbled as preseason No. 1 last season too
Tennessee
+Hired title-winning DC Jim Knowles from Ohio State
+Portal reload at WR and along the D-line
+First-ever SEC home date has crowd juice
−Starting QB battle still unresolved in July
−Lost proven starter Aguilar to the NFL
−Dropped to 8-5 and preseason No. 24
Texas walks into Knoxville as the presumptive top team in the country, and Arch Manning is the reason why. He's no longer the hype prospect — he's a full-year returning starter who threw for 3,163 yards and 26 touchdowns in 2025 and turned down the NFL Draft to come back and finish the job. Tennessee, meanwhile, is rolling the dice on a true freshman or a redshirt freshman under center, with Josh Heupel refusing to name a starter until fall camp wraps in mid-August. That gap in QB certainty is the whole story of this game before a single snap is played.
The Vols didn't sit still on defense to compensate. Heupel fired DC Tim Banks in December and replaced him with Jim Knowles, fresh off a national title as Ohio State's coordinator, and Knowles brought a chunk of his staff with him from Columbus and Penn State. That's a real upgrade on paper, and it's the best chance Tennessee has to keep this game from getting away from them early. Texas isn't hiding from contact either — Sarkisian let longtime DC Pete Kwiatkowski walk and installed Will Muschamp, so both sidelines are breaking in new defensive voices in Week 4.
Show fees
11:00 AM CT
Spread
ML
Total
TEX Texas
TENN Tennessee
On offense, Texas restocked instead of standing pat. Ryan Wingo returns after an 834-yard season, and the Horns went out and got Auburn transfer Cam Coleman — a former five-star who beat out Alabama and Texas A&M for his services — to pair alongside him. The running back room got a facelift too after losing Quintrevion Wisner and CJ Baxter, bringing in transfers Raleek Brown and Hollywood Smothers to replace the production. Whether that backfield gels by late September is a real question, but the passing weapons around Manning look as good as any group in the country.
Texas Longhorns
Sep 19?vs UTSA—
Sep 12?vs Ohio State—
Sep 5?vs Texas State—
Tennessee Volunteers
Sep 19?vs Kennesaw State—
Sep 12?@ Georgia Tech—
Sep 5?vs Furman—
Recent form.
Both programs are coming off seasons that didn't match preseason billing. Texas opened 2025 as the No. 1 team, lost three times including a season-opening defeat at Ohio State, and settled for a Citrus Bowl win over Michigan instead of a playoff run. Tennessee took a bigger step back, sliding from a 2024 CFP berth to 8-5 and a Music City Bowl loss to Illinois — which is why the Vols check in at just No. 24 in the preseason poll, their lowest ranking since 2022. Neither fan base is approaching this one with much room for error, especially with Alabama, Texas A&M and LSU also on Tennessee's slate.
Texas Longhorns
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Tennessee Volunteers
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
Strip away the record books and this is still the first time these two programs have met since 1968, and the first time they've ever played as SEC opponents. Neyland Stadium will be loud regardless of who's throwing passes for the home team, and a freshman quarterback making his first true road environment against a top-tier defense is exactly the kind of spot that can go sideways fast. For Texas, the margin for error is thinner than the ranking suggests — a new-look defense and a retooled backfield both need to hold up on the road in a hostile building.
