The Texas Longhorns will have another scrap on their hands Saturday.

The No. 1 team in the country will travel to Knoxville to take on the undefeated Tennessee Volunteers in the SEC opener for both teams.

The Longhorns are 4.5-point favorites at Neyland Stadium, and the Over/Under is hanging at 55.5 points for this noon ET showdown.

Texas vs. Tennessee odds, prediction

The Volunteers came into the 2026 season with muted expectations thanks to some uncertainty at quarterback.

That question seems to have been answered by the emergence of Faizon Brandon.

The true freshman has looked in control in his first three outings, completing 64.1 percent of his passes (41-for-64) for 552 yards and six touchdowns against zero picks.

The Greensboro, N.C., native has also proven to be a weapon on the ground, racking up 137 yards on 26 carries and scoring three touchdowns.

It doesn’t hurt that Brandon has an elite running back, DeSean Bishop, as a security blanket in the backfield.

It is fair to wonder if Brandon and the Vols can carry their momentum from wins over Furman, Georgia Tech and Kennesaw State into a showdown against the No. 1 team in the country, but it’s hard not to be impressed with how this offense has looked with Brandon as the pilot.

Arch Manning and Texas have the most impressive win of the season in their pocket already, but this will be a different beast compared to Ohio State.

The Longhorns rode their luck a bit in that game, but they also needed to just hang around against an offense that is more efficient than explosive.

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Tennessee, on the other hand, will demand that you keep up with their explosiveness. I’m skeptical that Texas is built to do that, and I’m not alone.

Bill Connelly’s SP+ model makes Texas a four-point favorite on a neutral field, so when you factor in home-field advantage, you can see how the Vols hold some serious value Saturday.

The Play: Tennessee +4.5 (-110, FanDuel)

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Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.