Will Tennessee zoom past No. 1 Texas? These Vols competing in auto innovation have already hit the gas

All things that have been top of mind in Knoxville this week.And not just for the University of Tennessee football team.This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners.

If you sign up or place a wager, FOX News may be compensated.This content was created by a team that works independently from the FOX newsroom.TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS LOOK TO PROVE PLAYOFF CREDENTIALS AGAINST TOP-RANKED TEXAS LONGHORNS FOOTBALLKNOXVILLE - Tennessee Volunteers defensive lineman Jordan Norman (33) and Tennessee Volunteers defensive lineman Ethan Utley (17) celebrate a stop during the college football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Kennesaw State Owls on September 19, 2026, at Neyland Stadium.

((Photo by Bryan Lynn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images))As the No.14 Volunteers prepared for Saturday’s tilt against No.

1 Texas in Knoxville, another group of Tennessee students were putting on their game faces for the challenge of their young lives."We’re at the very beginning stages," Tennessee Ph.D.student Tyson Beach said.

"Right now, it’s just this big bowl of potential.We are forming ideas, but we are driven, we are working and we want to win.

That’s just it.Plain and simple."Beach and his more than 100 teammates from Tennessee’s Tickle College of Engineering were selected to compete in the 2026 EcoCAR Innovation Challenge against 19 other universities from across North America.Members of Tennessee's EcoCAR Challenge team are about to start a four-year challenge to enhance a Jeep Grand Cherokee with innovative technology.

(University of Tennessee)The four-year program, administered by the U.S.Department of Energy and Argonne National Laboratory, and sponsored by car manufacturers General Motors and Stellantis, tasks college students with developing innovative and energy-efficient next-generation solutions for the automotive industry, using emerging technologies, artificial intelligence, connected and automated vehicle systems and advanced ...