Tennessee and South Carolina used to be one of the more critical matchups inside the SEC East, but that’s a little different in 2016 in terms of standings. Tennessee is coming off of back-to-back losses to both Texas A&M and Alabama, which dropped the Vols to third in the SEC East standings. South Carolina, meanwhile, is struggling mightily in head coach Will Muschamp’s first season as the Gamecocks’ head coach. The Gamecocks have just one conference win on the season, against Vanderbilt in Week 1.
Tennessee vs. South Carolina 2016: Start time, live stream, TV schedule, and 3 things to know
A road win over South Carolina is critical if Tennessee wants to stay alive in the SEC East race.
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Tennessee may have two losses, but they aren’t out of the SEC East race just yet. If Florida -- who is currently in first place in the division -- wins out, they will clinch the division. But if Florida loses at least once, the Vols could find themselves once again in the mix. Tennessee will face the East’s second-placed team Kentucky, on Nov. 12. Before any of that happens, the Vols have to beat South Carolina on the road this Saturday night.
How to watch, stream, and listen
TV: 7:15 p.m. ET, ESPN2. Mark Jones and Rod Gilmore will be on the call with Quint Kessenich on the sidelines.
Radio: Tennessee | South Carolina
Online streaming: Saturday’s game can be live streamed through WatchESPN.
Spread: Tennessee is a 14-point favorite.
Make friends: Get to SB Nation’s team blog chats for this game at Rocky Top Talk for UT fans and Garnet And Black Attack for South Carolina fans.
Three big things to know
1. South Carolina’s offense made a QB change: Freshman quarterback Jake Bentley made his first-ever start last week against UMass. Bentley is now the third quarterback calling the plays for South Carolina this season, but he seems to have revitalized the offense. Prior to last week, the Gamecocks were averaging 14 points per game in the first six contests.
2. Tennessee is coming off a much-needed bye: The Vols have been riddled with injuries this season, with 12 starters having gone down over the course of the season. Running back Alvin Kamara, who suffered a knee injury after the Alabama loss two weeks ago, is still out this week. The Vols will turn to Sophomore John Kelly will replace Kamara at running back alongside Jalen Hurd.
3. The Vols play South Carolina well recently: Tennessee has won the last three straight games in this series, and the Vols lead the overall series 25-7-2. However, the last four games in this series have been decided by pretty close margins -- a combined 11 points.The largest margin of victory is three points within that time frame.
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