Tennessee at South Carolina kicks off at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN in Columbia

Tennessee plays at South Carolina in Columbia on Saturday afternoon, with kickoff set for 3:30 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ESPN and streamed through the ESPN app, and oddsmakers have South Carolina favored by 2.5 points.

The Gamecocks come in off a bye week, two weeks after they went to Gainesville and routed Florida. That result revived South Carolina's momentum, and the betting line reflects the belief that it could carry into this game against a Tennessee team in a possible letdown spot.

Tennessee, meanwhile, is coming off a physically dominant win over rival Alabama, when Jim Knowles' defense held the Crimson Tide to season lows. The Vols will need that defense again against LaNorris Sellers and the Gamecocks, and they will also need the offensive line and running back DeSean Bishop to perform on the road against a strong South Carolina front. Another question is whether quarterback George MacIntyre can exploit a shaky South Carolina secondary.

For Tennessee, the meaning is straightforward. Surviving a tricky road game after the Alabama win would back up last week's result, while South Carolina is trying to prove its performance at Florida was the start of something more sustained.