No. 1 Texas gets its first major road test of the season as it travels to Knoxville for a matchup against No. 14 Tennessee. Will the Longhorns leave Neyland Stadium with a win, or will the Volunteers topple the top-ranked team in the nation?
Manning family ties will be a big story heading into kickoff in Knoxville, as Arch Manning plays in the stadium where his uncle Peyton's name is retired. Manning will also be in the spotlight once the actual game begins because of his past road woes, and he'll have to put those behind him to power the 'Horns to victory. He should get plenty of help from his defense which ranks among the best in the country, despite playing Ohio State in Week 2.
Tennessee is looking for its first win over No. 1 since 1985 and just its third win over the top-ranked team in program history. To make that happen, five-star freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon can't play like an 18-year-old. Through three games, Brandon has yet to throw an interception, but he certainly hasn't faced anything close to what he'll see across the line of scrimmage on Saturday afternoon. The Vols defense is also full of unknowns; this unit hasn't really been tested while under the direction of new coordinator Jim Knowles.
There are two shades of orange and two UTs, but there can only be one winner. It should be an entertaining battle in Knoxville.
Keep it locked here as CBS Sports provides you with live updates, highlights and analysis as Texas battles Tennessee on Saturday.
Roughly 45 minutes prior to kick off, Air Force One flew over Neyland Stadium as President Donald Trump arrives in Knoxville. We'll see what kind of impact Trump's presence has since headset communications cut out when he changes locations within the stadium.
Today's game will be a big test for Manning, who hasn't performed particularly well on the road at Texas. Last season, the Horns went 2-3 on the road, and Manning's numbers took a noticeable dip in each game.
Road losses to Georgia and Ohio State can certainly be excused for a first-year starter, but what about a loss to four-win Florida or overtime wins against Mississippi State and Kentucky? Manning's overall body of work left a lot to be desired in that quintet of games.
Can the environment in Neyland Stadium, couple with Jim Knowles' defensive scheme, pull more those issues out of Manning on Saturday? If Manning shows some growth in that department, Texas should leave Knoxville with a win.
With a noon kickoff and President Donald Trump in attendance, the University of Tennessee implored fans to arrive early. The Neyland Stadium gates opened at 9 a.m. ET, and the Vols enticed fans with half-price concessions (including alcohol) for the first hour.
It's fair to say the Tennessee faithful got the message. Neyland Stadium was nearing full capacity well before kickoff as fans rolled through the gates early and often.
This will be the 19th time Tennessee has faced the No. 1 team in the country, and things haven't gone well for the Vols in that giant-slayer mode. Tennessee is just 2-16 all-time against top-ranked opponents, and the last win came in 1985 when the Volunteers took down No. 1 Auburn.
The silver lining for Tennessee is that Texas hasn't done a great job of taking its No. 1 ranking on the road. Since the FBS era began in 1978, the Longhorns are 1-3 on the road as the top-ranked team in the country. The most recent loss was last season, when the Horns lost to Ohio State as the preseason No. 1. Prior to that, Texas fell to Texas Tech in Lubbock -- one of the best college football games of the modern era.
After spending most of the week on the SEC availability report, Smothers was removed on Saturday morning. That means he'll be available for the Longhorns, who will have their leading rusher in the fold. The question will be about Smothers' workload? It's probably fair to expect Raleek Brown and Derrek Cooper to rotate in frequently.
On the Tennessee side, backup running back Javin Gordon has been ruled out with a leg injury. The Vols are still deep at that position, with DeSean Bishop, Daune Morris and Justin Baker all available against Texas. Defensive lineman Nathan Robinson remains a game-time decision as the Vols evaluate his status in warmups.
Believe it or not, this is the first time Tennessee and Texas have met in the regular season. Every other time they've faced one another has been in the Cotton Bowl -- and the last time that happened was all the way back in 1968. In those three Cotton Bowl matchups, Texas emerged victorious in two of them.
It's rather suprising that these two promiment college football programs haven't met in almost 60 years, but we'll finally settle which school is the "real UT" this afternoon. That is, at least until Tennessee travels to Austin in a couple years.
It's going to be a circus on Rocky Top today. "College GameDay" is on campus this morning, and President Donald Trump is expected to roll in before kickoff. To accommodate for the extra security measures, Tennessee has announced the Neyland Stadium gates will open at 9 a.m. ET with half-price concessions (including alcohol) for the first hour.
Beyond the logistical mayhem, Trump's presence in Neyland Stadium could cause communication problems. Steve Sarkisian revealed that coach-to-player and coach-to-coach communications cut out whenever the president changes locations. In fact, when Trump was in attendance for last season's national title game, Indiana and Miami lost communication briefly during the fourth quarter.
Peyton Manning is one of eight players in Tennessee football history to have his number retired. His nephew, Arch, rolls into Neyland Stadium wearing the very same No. 16 -- albeit in a different shade of orange.
Arch has the public support of his uncle this weekend, so how will those family ties affect his reception on Rocky Top this afternoon? I spoke to a couple of Tennessee fans who will be in attendance to gauge their expectations.
Earlier in the week, I was tasked with previewing this game and providing a pick. Frankly, it's tough to know who to trust in this game. That sounds silly to say when Texas beat the former No. 1 team in the country just a couple weeks ago, but the Horns' road struggles under Steve Sarkisian give me pause. On the other hand, Tennessee hasn't really been tested, and the Vols are rolling with a freshman quarterback against Will Muschamp's defense.
That's why I set my sights on the total, which might be a tick too high, even with Sarkisian and Josh Heupel calling the shots on offense.
