Former Alabama Crimson quarterback and current ESPN analyst Greg McElroy sent a friendly warning to the Tennessee Vols this week.

McElroy noted during this week’s Always College Football that he has Tennessee ranked at No. 14.

While explaining his ranking of the Vols, McElroy sent a quick warning to Tennessee about their matchup this weekend against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in Starkville.

“At number 14 is Tennessee; they were number 15 last week,” said McElroy. “They move up one spot. They’re in a good spot, but I do think this week’s game is a little dangerous, going on the road to Mississippi State. [The Vols] need to be careful. I think Mississippi State is a team that has impressed me a lot with their improvements from last year to this year. How real are they? We’ll find out against a Tennessee team that I have a tremendous amount of respect for.”

Josh Heupel and the Vols are expecting a great environment in Starkville

Playing on the road in the SEC is never easy. Whether it’s The Swamp, Death Valley, Starkville, or any other venue in the SEC (Vanderbilt notwithstanding), it’s always tricky on the road in college football’s best conference.

Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel, though, is no stranger to tough road environments. And he’s well aware that Mississippi State fans, armed with cowbells, will be raucous on Saturday in Starkville.

“We know it will be a great environment, a white out down there,” said Heupel on Monday. “For us, we’ve got to win with our preparation and get ready to go play a really good football team on the road. And it’s going to be a great environment and we look forward to playing.”

Mississippi State is a uniquely tough road environment because of the constant clanging of cowbells. Throw in a white out crowd, and it should be a juiced stadium. Fortunately for the Vols, it’s not a night game (the game is set to kick off at 3:15 p.m. CT/4:15 PM ET).

This won’t be an easy one for the Vols, but it’s definitely not a trap game. Tennessee knows it’s going to be a battle in Starkville on Saturday afternoon.

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