With less than 100 days until Tennessee and the remainder of college football get underway for the 2026 season, DraftKings is beginning to release some additional betting lines for games across the country. This includes the Vols’ SEC opening game against Texas.
According to DraftKings, Tennessee is a seven-point underdog in the game against the Longhorns. There are no odds released for the money line or a total points scored over/under. However, so far, 100% of the bets placed have been on the Vols covering the spread.
The game between Tennessee and Texas is scheduled for Sept. 26, 2026, in Knoxville at Neyland Stadium. There is no game time or TV designation determined to this point.
This will be the fourth time the teams have met in football. The Vols are 1-2 all-time.
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The matchup means a member of the Manning family will also be in Knoxville. After starting for Texas all of last season, Arch Manning returns in the hopes of raising his NFL draft stock. Of course, his uncle, Peyton Manning, was a legendary quarterback for the Vols in the 1990s before beginning his NFL career.
For Tennessee, it isn’t clear who will start at quarterback. The Vols are holding a quarterback battle between redshirt-freshman George MacIntyre, true freshman Faizon Brandon and Colorado transfer Ryan Staub. Reports indicate Brandon is gaining steam to win the job, but it’s still a completely open competition entering fall camp.
To oppose Arch Manning on the field, Tennessee will have a new-look defense. The Vols fired defensive coordinator Tim Banks and replaced him with former Penn State and Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. Since his arrival, he added new pieces to his defensive staff and hammered the transfer portal to retool the defense.
