Tennessee football fans want to give defensive coordinator Jim Knowles a raise, revel in DeSean Bishop’s surging season and explore the Vols’ realistic playoff prospects.
The trajectory of the 2026 season got a massive boost when Tennessee beat Alabama26-10 on Oct. 17 at Neyland Stadium. Once fans put away their victory cigars and left the on-field celebration, they filled the Vols mailbag with questions.
No. 11 Tennessee (6-1, 3-1 SEC) plays South Carolina (3-3, 1-3) on Oct. 24 (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN or SEC Network) at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina.
Before turning to that road test, let’s answer the big questions from the Alabama game.
Should Tennessee give Jim Knowles a raise?
Knowles absolutely earned every penny of his pay in that game. It was a masterful job of game-planning and staying a step ahead of Alabama’s offense. Perhaps there will be talks in the offseason about a restructured contract.
But UT planned for Knowles’ raises when it initially signed him to a three-year deal. He will earn $2 million this season, $2.2 million in the 2027 season and $2.4 million in the 2028 season.
Can Tennessee defense be this good all season?
Yes, for a few reasons. Knowles is a proven commodity, so his plan will be strong each game. UT has a core of veteran players on defense. And the Vols have already faced talented offensive players for Texas and Alabama.
UT could certainly have an off day. Circumstances and matchups change each game. But the Vols have held all four SEC opponents to 20 points or less. That’s enough of a track record to deem this defense as a safe bet.
How does the win impact UT's postseason prospects?
The first College Football Playoff rankings will be released Nov. 3. If the Vols beat South Carolina, they should make the initial projected 12-team bracket.
From there, it’s assumed that an SEC team with a 10-2 record will make the playoff. The good news is that UT could lose one more game and probably still make it. The bad news is that there’s so much parity in the SEC that any game can be lost with a sub-par performance.
Is DeSean Bishop’s quietly having a historic season?
It’s not quiet anymore. Bishop, a former Karns standout, already has rushed for 837 yards, third-most in the nation, and 10 TDs.
Bishop is on the verge of becoming only the second UT player in history to post two 1,000-yard seasons. He rushed for 1,076 yards in 2025. Johnnie Jones pulled off that feat in 1983-84.
Dylan Sampson owns the UT single-season record with 1,491 yards rushing in 2024. Bishop would have to stay healthy and rush for 654 yards in the final five regular-season games plus the postseason to reach that mark.
How has Derek Owings impacted the team?
It’s a common sports trope to assume that the new strength coach is always better than the last. But it’s fair to say that Derek Owings has made a difference so far.
The Vols have outscored SEC opponents 66-34 in the second half. And Bishop leads all FBS players in rushing yards (517) in the second half of games.
But the true impact will come in the stretch run of the season. Owings told players during that summer that they were training for games in January, referencing the playoffs.
Did George MacIntyre lock up the starting QB job?
He should have the job for the foreseeable future. George MacIntyre is essentially 3-0 as an SEC starting quarterback (counting the second half against Auburn).
Granted, the defense and ground game have been the biggest factors to those victories. But it’s apparent that MacIntyre can operate a more expansive version of the offense than freshman Faizon Brandon.
Was Faizon Brandon ever an option to play in this game?
I don’t think so. Brandon is medically cleared from a right shoulder injury to play, but he’s not at 100% yet. In pregame warm-ups, he had zip on most intermediate passes but also short-hopped a couple of throws.
MacIntyre is the more effective quarterback right now. He’ll start against South Carolina, and the coaches can reassess Brandon’s role each game.
Why did the offense move the ball better than previous SEC games?
The offense has expanded each game since MacIntyre replaced Brandon. He’s processing quicker. The playbook is widening. His execution of the passing game has brought more wrinkles into the offense and loosened the defense, which has aided the ground game. There are just more options with MacIntyre in the game.
Why didn’t Tennessee throw deep passes?
I’d have to rewatch the game closely. But it looked like Alabama protected against the deep ball and gave ground to intermediate routes. MacIntyre mentioned that the cornerbacks played soft coverage on the outside, which allowed for free releases to the middle of the field.
Plus, UT has had protection problems, so the goal was to get the ball out of MacIntyre’s hands as quickly as possible.
I have no issues with the lack of deep passing. It appears to be a combination of logical play-calling and wise decisions by MacIntyre. The Vols reached the red zone five times, scored on six of 11 possessions and capped the game with a 9-minute, 32-second TD drive.
Why did conservative Josh Heupel kick field goals?
Those were wise decisions. He may have the best defense in college football. He has a very good punter to dictate field position. And he has a very reliable placekicker to guarantee points. You must coach the team that you have rather than the one you intended.
What happened on DaSaahn Brame’s receiving miscues?
You’re referring to tight end DaSaahn Brame’s dropped pass in the end zone and another pass that struck in in the back of the leg. He simply didn’t make the TD catch on a well-designed play.
And there appeared to be some miscommunication when he didn’t turn around to catch the other pass. That was the same play that yielded a long gain for Brame in the Arkansas game, but Alabama defended it differently. That may have been why Brame read it differently and tried to extend his route.
Why does Qua Moss fair catch so many punts?
This may be the difference between watching the game on TV versus the wider view of the stadium. I don’t think Qua Moss has opted for a fair catch many times when there was room to return it.
Opponents are punting away from him because he returned a punt for a TD against Texas. Some punts have had good hang time. Some have been dribblers that are difficult to charge and catch.
Consider this: 16 of 28 punts (57%) by UT have been fair caught by opponents but only 18 of 44 (41%) have been fair caught by UT punt returners. Moss is fair catching a lower percentage than the opposition.
Does beating Alabama help recruiting and portal options?
It doesn’t have much of an impact. Recruits rarely choose a school based on the result of a particular game. And transfers choose a school based on NIL money, playing time opportunities and a perceived path to the NFL.
It’s plausible that portal prospects considering UT in January won’t even know whether the Vols beat Alabama in this game until they’re told. It’s not a factor.
Who has the green dot on their helmet on defense?
Linebacker Amare Campbell, who ran Knowles’ defense at Penn State, has the green dot on his helmet. That means Knowles can talk directly to Campbell via one-way radio until 15 seconds remain on the play clock.
This game was so loud that Campbell had to cover the ear holes on his helmet to hear instructions. Fortunately, he’s accustomed to that. At Penn State, he played in Beaver Stadium, which has a capacity of 106,304. Neyland Stadium holds 101,915.
How did that win change your record prediction?
So far, I’m on pace with the right picks. In the preseason, I predicted that UT would be 6-1 to this point in the season with a loss to Texas and win over Alabama. That’s held up.
But I believe my 8-4 final record prediction was an underestimation. This defense is dominant, and UT’s schedule might be weaker down the stretch than I anticipated.
The Vols could go 9-3, 10-2 or 11-1. All those outcomes seem more probable than 8-4. But South Carolina and Kentucky could be tough back-to-back games with an off week in between.
SEC is unpredictable. How do Vols avoid a letdown at South Carolina?
It’s hard to call any SEC losses as letdowns this season. UT opened as about a two-point favorite at South Carolina. The assumption is that most of these games are coin tosses.
The Gamecocks had a dominant 38-19 win at Florida on Oct. 10, and they had an extra week to prepare for UT. Keep in mind that Florida beat Texas and Texas beat Tennessee.
The Vols must play well on defense, limit turnovers and continue to evolve offensively to win any of their remaining games, including this one at South Carolina. There are no gimmes.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing atknoxnews.com/subscribe.
Get the latest news and insight on SEC football by subscribing to the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee football fans ask about Jim Knowles raise, playoff projection after beating Alabama