Shared Alabama game exposes the gap between Tennessee and South Carolina

The clearest measure of this SEC matchup might be the one common opponent both teams have already faced. Tennessee beat Alabama by 16 points this season, while South Carolina lost to Alabama by 31, a swing that lines up with the 29-spot gap between the Volunteers at No. 9 in FBS and the Gamecocks at No. 38.

Tennessee comes in at 6-1 with an A+ overall grade, an A offense and an A+ defense ranked 8th in FBS, and the Versus model has the Volunteers climbing 16 spots this season alone. South Carolina has its own case for respect at 3-3, with an A- offense ranked 21st and a win over a Florida team sitting well above the Gamecocks in the rankings, but all three of its losses have come against teams with winning records, and this trip brings another one.

Versus projects Tennessee to win 30-25, giving the Volunteers a 62 percent chance against South Carolina's 38. The game counts in the SEC standings, and with Tennessee ranked 70th and South Carolina 68th in strength of schedule, the separation in this projection comes almost entirely from how each team has performed, not who it has played.