CBS Sports’ ‘Inside College Football’ analysts predict huge Tennessee vs. Texas Week 4 game
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Neyland Stadium will be rocking on Saturday as No. 14 Tennessee welcomes No. 1 Texas to Rocky Top for a massive Week 4 showdown.
The Volunteers last hosted a top-ranked team in 2023. That team was Georgia, which cruised to a 38-10 win. That said, if the Vols can pick up a victory over the Longhorns, they’ll give themselves a big boost when it comes to the College Football Playoff and SEC race.
On Tuesday, CBS Sports Network’s “Inside College Football” analysts — Aaron Taylor, Rick Neuheisel, Brian Jones, and Brian Kelly — gave their picks. Taylor called it a “beef on beef” matchup, adding that though the Longhorns may have looked past UTSA a little bit, they’ll get back on track.
“This is a line of scrimmage league. There’s some great skill players in this game, but at the end of the day, if (Steve Sarkisian) is going to have a College Football Playoff team, one that’s worthy of winning the national championship, you got to control the line of scrimmage and get it done,” he said.
Neuheisel picked Texas as well, but in a close one.
“Faizon Brandon (has) been outstanding. (Tennessee is) averaging almost 300 yards a game rushing, which is where they want to be,” he said. “But we just know that Texas can take that away and put it on Brandon’s shoulders, which probably is a little too much at this point.”
While Kelly agreed with Neuheisel about Brandon and that the game might be close, he noted the unique “environment” Saturday will present.
“(Brandon) hasn’t been in this environment yet. Arch Manning has, and we saw how he responded in that big game against Ohio State,” Kelly said. “I think it’s going to be that closer just like you said, but I think the veteran quarterback wins out against the budding superstar.”
Jones remarked that while DeSean Bishop and Dwayne Morris, along with Brandon, have provided a boost for Tennessee, there’s “no way in you-know-where” he was going to pick against Texas.
“You gotta stop this rush offense of Tennessee, and then it’s going to be a Longhorn afternoon,” he added.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
