ESPN’s Rece Davis predicted last week that Alabama would beat Tennessee in Knoxville.

Davis wasn’t alone in his prediction — nearly everyone picked Alabama to win.

And nearly everyone was wrong.

The Vols were dominant in a 26-10 win over the Crimson Tide.

Tennessee’s defense suffocated Alabama all day and the rushing attack put the game away in the fourth quarter. It was a complete performance from a Vols team that was doubted all week.

ESPN’s Rece Davis shares his thoughts on Tennessee after the Vols’ win over Alabama

Davis reacted to Tennessee’s win over Alabama on the College GameDay podcast on Sunday.

The longtime ESPN host thinks the Vols will be a “force to be dealt with” going forward.

“They did a great, great job with the game plan and setting it up,” said Davis of Tennessee. “And I think they also just knew that they could kick Alabama’s tail from the defensive front to the offensive line. And they did. Tennessee is sitting there with that defense, and I think things sort of open up for the Volunteers right now. People were complaining around Tennessee about Heupel after last year (after the late season loss to Vanderbilt), and now they are staring at the potential for a second playoff berth in three years.

“I look at their schedule. They’ve got to go to South Carolina. That’s up and down for sure — coming off an emotional win, you can turn up flat. They’ve got Kentucky. That’ll be gargantuan, but they’ve got it at home. Texas A&M’s a mess. They go on the road (to play the Aggies). They’ve got LSU. They’ve got it at home. So they’ve got a couple of tests coming and a couple of tricky road games, but the two tests are in Neyland Stadium, where it is extraordinarily difficult to function. And now that Big Orange Nation is believing again in what they’re seeing, and Jim Knowles, with the help of some Penn State transfers, is not taking the customary year to get the (defensive) system to work properly — it is working brilliantly right now. Tennessee is a force to be dealt with in the SEC.”

“It was a great win for them,” added Davis. “And I think it’s a harbinger of things to come for the Volunteers the rest of the way. Things have fallen their way very quickly after that win, in terms of the schedule and where their big games are.”

Things certainly set up nicely for the Vols, but nothing is guaranteed for Tennessee.

There are no “easy” games in the SEC. Anyone can be beaten on any given Saturday at this point.

The opportunity is there for the Vols to do something special this season, but they have to go earn it on Saturdays.