Tennessee got a big slap in the face right after Alabama win, and it’s free bulletin board material against South Carolina
The Vols are not getting the benefit of the doubt after one of the most impressive wins in college football this season.
The Tennessee Vols made one of the loudest statements in all of college football on Saturday in Knoxville, jumping to an early lead and never trailing in an emphatic and physically dominant 26-10 win over the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Tennessee’s defense controlled the game, holding Alabama to just 201 total yards and two yards per carry on the ground. Tennessee’s offense was efficient and put together six scoring drives, with two nine-plus play touchdown drives in the second half to build their lead and eventually put the game away. It was, without a doubt, one of the most overall impressive performances by Tennessee arguably in years.
And now, with a road trip to South Carolina on deck, the No. 11 Vols will surely be the favorite, correct? Not so fast.
DraftKings and FanDuel Sportsbooks moved Tennessee from slight favorite to 2.5-point underdogs against South Carolina
DraftKings Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook both opened on Sunday with Tennessee as a slight favorite in the 1.5 – 2.5 point range. Now, on Monday morning, both books have shifted the Gamecocks to 2.5-point favorites.
That’s quite the swing that you rarely see, particularly when no injury report or update has been released indicating a key player or players might miss a game. It appears to simply be a shift based on perception in the game, which makes little sense.
Sure, it’s going to be a significant challenge for Tennessee in Columbia, a place where they’ve had plenty of problems in recent years, and one they might not overcome. But Mississippi State went in there in September and won convincingly, and Alabama, who Tennessee just handily defeated, clubbed the Gamecocks 49-18 earlier this season as well.
There’s certainly the argument that the SEC is a week-to-week league, and there’s a lot of truth to that. The Vols are also coming off a massive emotion high, with South Carolina coming off a bye week. But Tennessee has shown they are a physical, run oriented team powered by a nasty defense, and that typically travels well.
In any event, Josh Heupel now has some added motivation he can put up in the locker room and around the facility this week.
