Tennessee is facing one of its scariest tests of the season this weekend.

After dominating Alabama last weekend in Knoxville, the Vols are set to head to Columbia this weekend for a matchup against South Carolina.

It’s a classic trap game for Tennessee in a stadium that’s been a house of horrors for the program over the last two decades (the Vols are just 2-6 in Columbia since 2008, and one of those wins came in 2020 when fan attendance was limited due to Covid).

South Carolina is coming off a bye week after a big road win against Florida earlier this month.

ESPN’s Greg McElroy picks winner of Tennessee vs South Carolina

ESPN’s Greg McElroy, who called the Vols’ win over Alabama last weekend, thinks Tennessee will falter in Columbia on Saturday.

McElroy has South Carolina beating Tennessee 27-24.

“Can South Carolina stop the run that keeps Tennessee on schedule?” said McElroy. “Tennessee has 46 runs of 10 or more yards. That’s top nine in the country, and Josh Heupel’s teams are 71-9 when they run for 150 yards or more. Look, South Carolina is pretty stingy on those runs. So this is strength against strength, and the pick kind of tilts on whether Tennessee’s quarterback can hold up his end of the bargain.

“I’m going to take South Carolina to win this game 27-24. I think they’re going to win on the ground. They’re also coming off a bye. Tennessee just went to war last week against Alabama. They looked amazing doing it, but we’ve seen teams elevate and then come back to earth the following week, and I think that could happen for Tennessee right here. Because (Matt) Fuller and (LaNorris) Sellers are going to get yards when that first defender misses. Tennessee’s linebackers cannot afford to miss in this game. So that (Fuller and Sellers) will keep the Gamecocks out of third and long — which is where Tennessee’s sacks live. It shrinks those pass rushing opportunities that are Tennessee’s very best weapon.”

“Tennessee’s defense is amazing,” added McElroy. “They’re sixth in points per drive. They’re gonna make this thing super tight. But I just lean towards the Gamecocks in this game and the potential flat spot for the Volunteers — even though they bring the better defense into the matchup. The Gamecocks bring a run game and receivers that can win one-on-one. So we will take the Gamecocks.”

Vols fans won’t love that pick, but it’s hard to blame McElroy, who has been pretty accurate with his predictions this season, based on Tennessee’s past history in Columbia.

Tennessee and South Carolina will kick off at 3:30 PM ET on Saturday. The game will air on ESPN.