An ESPN analyst has named 20th-ranked Tennessee as a potential upset candidate for the coming Saturday, despite the Volunteers facing a heavily outmatched opponent. Jordan Rodgers made the pick on SportsCenter when asked for a bold upset prediction, but the choice has drawn scepticism given the scale of the mismatch involved, with commentators suggesting it was more about generating a headline than a genuine forecast.

Tennessee are set to play Furman, an FCS side that finished 6-6 last season and lost 45-10 to Clemson, their only FBS opponent in 2025. The Vols are favourites by around seven touchdowns, and the article's author argues Tennessee's high-tempo offence under coach Josh Heupel makes a competitive game highly unlikely, predicting a comfortable win of 28 points or more. Some observers noted Rodgers is a former Vanderbilt player, raising the possibility his pick was a tongue-in-cheek dig at Tennessee, a Vanderbilt rival, rather than a serious prediction.