NCAA Football
2026-09-26 - Texas Longhorns at Tennessee Volunteers
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : College Football Week 4
Saturday 26th September 2026 - Scheduled 12pm EST
5pm (British Time)
Preview
Two teams who have begun the season at 3-0 will now move into SEC play and with President Trump expected to be in attendance.
It would have been a big game anyway when the Texas Longhorns (3-0) visited Knoxville to face the Tennessee Volunteers (3-0) with Arch Manning set to Quarter Back the road team on a campus where Uncle Peyton was a former College star for the Volunteers before having a very successful career in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos.
Bigger expectations are on the shoulders of the Texas Longhorns when these unbeaten teams open Conference play in 2026 and the come from behind win over the Ohio State Buckeyes has already placed a strong victory in the record books. There are going to be some significant challenges to meet in the SEC and the Texas Longhorns will be well aware of the test that is facing them when playing the first road game of the season.
The Tennessee Volunteers do have a road win over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, and they will have taken great pleasure in beating a historical rival, but two home wins against overmatched opponents won't mean a great deal before facing one of the top teams in the SEC.
Some will already be backing Arch Manning to be the top Draft Pick for the NFL next year, but the Volunteers will be going into this game with a much more inexperienced Quarter Back.
Faizon Brandon has made a positive start to his College career, and there are huge expectations as to how he will grow into a top Quarter Back at this level and then beyond, and all credit has to be given to the Volunteers for being able to recruit him. He has been able to throw 6 Touchdown passes without an Interception and Faizon Brandon has added three more Touchdowns on the ground, but facing the likes of Furman, Georgia Tech and Kennesaw State is one thing and facing the Texas Longhorns is another.
The Longhorns Defensive Line have begun the season looking pretty sharp in the trenches and they have been able to slow the run, which is always a key approach for any team at any level to adopt. Stop the run and making the Offensive game-plan one-dimensional will put the Longhorns in a position to try and bait the young Quarter Back into a mistake or two, while the Secondary have used that advantage up front to make big plays when the ball is thrown against them.
Trying to put it altogether on the road can be a test, but the Longhorns have to be confident in their ability on this side of the ball and that may give them the edge.
Stopping the run has been more of a test for the Volunteers Defensive Line and you just know the Texas plan will be to see if they can find the push at the Line of Scrimmage that will keep Arch Manning in third and manageable spots on the field. That is so important on the road, even for a Quarter Back with some serious College experience, and the Longhorns have looked strong enough to believe they can establish the run with some success.
Arch Manning should then be given the time he needs to find his playmakers and it should also mean he is not having to hold onto the ball for long enough to allow the Volunteers to ramp up the pass rush.
Pressure up front has certainly helped the Secondary early in the season, but the Volunteers have not come up against any Offensive Line like the one the Longhorns will be running out onto the field and that gives the road team any advantage.
Moving the ball up and down the field is never going to be easy on the road in the SEC environment, at least not with any consistency.
However, the Longhorns do have enough about them to win at the Line of Scrimmage on both sides of the ball and the extra experience of Arch Manning should see him outperform Faizon Brandon and lead Texas to an important road win in Knoxville.
Prediction
Lay the points with the road team in what should be a really fun SEC game in Week 4 of the College Football season.
The Pick :
Tennessee Volunteers 20-27 Texas Longhorns
