The sharps had South Carolina, and for most of the night in Columbia, Tennessee proved them wrong. DeSean Bishop ran 32 times for 120 yards, the Vols ran for 184 as a team, and the defense sacked LaNorris Sellers five times.
Then Tennessee beat itself. Three touchdowns came back on penalties, twelve flags for 90 yards in all, and a fourth-and-1 handoff that never happened. South Carolina hit a 48-yarder and won 27-24.
The good news: 6-2 is still alive. Win out against Kentucky, at Texas A&M, LSU and at Vanderbilt, and Tennessee is 10-2 with wins over Alabama, Kentucky and LSU. It starts Nov. 7 at Neyland, against the SEC team that commits the fewest penalties. My early lean is Tennessee.
2026 record: College picks 9-7-1 (including the Vols) · Vols against the spread 3-2
Read the full column at Five and a Fade: https://fiveandafade.com/2026/10/29/tennessee-had-the-experts-beat-then-it-beat-itself/
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