Week 3 Results Soften Tennessee's Road Ahead

Three games into the season, the Volunteers' slate of opponents looks less threatening than it did before kickoff in September.

Tennessee's September 26 home date with No. 1 Texas suddenly looks less forbidding. The Longhorns are unbeaten and own a win over former No. 1 Ohio State, but their offense has sputtered despite a heavy influx of transfers, scoring just 30 points in a 24-point defeat of UTSA last time out. The No. 13 Vols host Texas at Neyland Stadium at noon on ABC.

The rest of the marquee names on Tennessee's schedule have also wobbled. LSU fell at Ole Miss after opening the year with a 51-10 rout of Clemson, with Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss throwing for 377 yards against the Tigers. Texas A&M was beaten at home by Kentucky, whose quarterback Kenny Minchey went 14-of-18 for 252 yards. Alabama sits at 3-0 but surrendered 36 points and 377 passing yards to Florida State's Ashton Daniels while throwing three interceptions of its own.

Games deeper down the schedule also appear more manageable than they did in the preseason. Arkansas, set to host the Vols in Fayetteville, drew sparse crowds against Georgia and has fallen to the bottom of the SEC. Mississippi State is 3-0 after rallying from 16 down to win 41-34 at South Carolina, a team Tennessee visits in late October. Auburn has improved on offense under first-year coach Alex Golesh but was beaten 44-39 by Florida, which rolled up 252 yards through the air and 243 on the ground.

Tennessee also avoids Georgia and Florida this season, and both are rolling. The No. 2 Bulldogs have outscored three opponents 178-40, while the Gators are averaging 52.6 points per game during a 3-0 start.