There are a ton of great storylines surrounding the Texas vs Tennessee matchup in Knoxville this weekend.

The battle of the real UT, Arch Manning playing in Neyland Stadium for the first time, Tennessee facing the No. 1 team in the nation, Vols true freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon’s first SEC start, etc.

One interesting subplot that hasn’t been discussed quite as much is what this game means personally for Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel.

Heupel, of course, is a former Oklahoma Sooners quarterback. And there’s obviously no love lost between Oklahoma and Texas.

On Monday, during his weekly press conference, Heupel was asked if playing Texas this week means anything to him personally due to his history at Oklahoma.

Heupel never flinched. He never showed visible emotion while answering the question.

“I think about this Saturday, that’s really what I think about,” said Heupel when asked what he thinks about Texas.

I figured Heupel would get asked about Texas at some point this week. He’ll probably be asked a few more times before the game kicks off at noon on Saturday. I wasn’t really sure how he would answer the question.

But I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that he essentially hit reporters with a “no comment.”

One of Heupel’s strengths is his ability to stay in the moment. For Heupel, it’s not about reflecting on the past or looking ahead. It’s all about today. What do we have to do to win today?

It’s cliche, but winning the day — and then stacking those days — is how you win championships. The only thing you can control is today, so why look back or look ahead?

That trait is part of what made Michael Jordan the greatest to ever play basketball.

It doesn’t mean that things will work out on Saturday for Tennessee — Texas has good players who will be trying to make plays all afternoon — but Heupel undoubtedly has the right approach going into the biggest game of the season for the Volunteers.