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Should Tennessee be scared of Oklahoma? Well, I'm not sure that any football team should be scared of its opponent in a given week -- but the Volunteers might want to at least be concerned. The Sooners haven't played anyone too impressive, but they've still scored 100 points and rolled up 1,016 yards against Louisiana Tech and Tulsa. Again, grain of salt -- but Oklahoma might actually be as good as some of the preseason predictors thought it would be.
Which makes this the long-awaited measuring stick game for Tennessee. The Vols are going into Norman and taking on a team that appears to be a legit playoff contender. Even if Tennessee can't come up with the win, losing by a respectable margin could be a sign that the postseason is back in reach; a narrow loss or a victory could send a wake-up signal to the rest of the SEC East that the Volunteers are for real. For any Tennessee commenter wanting to know when I might take the Vols seriously: If they keep this game within reach, even into the third quarter, that will be when my opinion about Tennessee will start to change in a dramatic way.
Perhaps the most interesting match-up will be Justin Worley against the Sooners' passing defense. Worley has had a solid start to the season, going 49-of-76 passing for 520 yards, five touchdowns and just one interception. Oklahoma's pass defense has given up some yards on account of leading so much, but it's held opposing quarterbacks to a 100.70 passer rating -- not good in college football. The statistics for sides of that battle have some caveats that go along with them. Worley could be the key to this game, particularly if it becomes a shootout.
Game Time: 8 p.m. ET
TV: ABC
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Brandon's prediction: Oklahoma 35, Tennessee 10