It’s over. It’s finally over. Well, it certainly looks that way.

Battered Vol Syndrome has been an ongoing affliction in Knoxville for quite sometime, likely since the late 2000’s when Tennessee last won a national championship in a major sport, which occurred in women’s basketball in 2008, and had a young, energetic football coach in place with Lane Kiffin in 2009. Since then, it seems everything that could go wrong for the Vols had, indeed, gone wrong for the Vols. Hence, Battered Vol Syndrome has plagued the Vols for well over a decade. Now, it seems to have been remedied by an athletic department that looks strong on almost all fronts, a championship in baseball and a football program that is on good footing.

So have the Vols been cured of the dastardly disease that has taken their fun fall Saturdays away?

“I think it is,” SEC Network/ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum said recently on The Dave Hooker Show on Off The Hook Sports. “I think the baseball championship was really significant. And so, I think it’s symbolic.”

Obviously, there aren’t enough home runs in all of college baseball to help the Vols in football, but there’s reason to think that the overall feel of the athletic department could help Tennessee with that oblong-ball sport, right? Nevertheless, Tennessee’s football program is coming off of two 10-win seasons, might have a generational talent at quarterback and should have its best defense it has had under head coach Josh Heupel, who is entering his fourth season as the Vols’ head coach. Heck, he even said this roster was his best during his tour at SEC Media Days.

“We’ve got, without a doubt, the best, the deepest roster that we’ve had,” Heupel said last week.

A great roster, however, doesn’t equal a championship. By most accounts, the Vols didn’t reach expectations last season so there are other factors that will obviously be in play, such as injuries and coaching. The Vols were beset by the Cooper May’s injury against Florida last year and seemed to fall short in the coaching department against Alabama in 2023.

“I thought that last year was a disappointment, but it was still a pretty good year by most coaches’ standards who have been at Tennessee in modern history,” Finebaum said, referring to the line of bumbling coaches that preceded Heupel.

So where is Tennessee now? Should they be considered championship contenders? Are they on the highest tier of teams in the SEC?

“I think Tennessee is on that next rung where if they can turn a game or two (they can make the College Football Playoff),” Finebaum said. “I think it really is the Alabama game. I think if Tennessee beats Alabama, and I think it’s certainly possible, then they go from 9-3 to 10-2.”

If you didn’t think Battered Vol Syndrome had been remedied, think about that sentiment for a moment. The Alabama game is now a swing game, not a seemingly impossible challenge to overcome. That’s a sign that the Vols have taken major steps in the right direction to make a leap this year.

The Vols’ schedule is both daunting and manageable. That’s always the case in the SEC. Even a favorable schedule is always fraught with potential potholes that could suck all the air out of the excitement and anticipation of a potentially historic season. However, the margins are razor thin. That Alabama game – or another – could determine whether or not the Vols even get a chance to play for a championship.

“I don’t think 9-3 is where you want to be trying to get into the playoffs,” Finebaum said. “It could get you in if you had some big win at the end of the year, but I think you want to be at 10-2…I think Alabama is the game that Tennessee has to win.

“It’s hard to predict that game yet because there are so many intangibles, but I think Tennessee is on the edge of the playoffs right now.”

Anything short of the College Football Playoffs and the Vols might be battling another bout of Battered Vol Syndrome. Certainly, Tennessee would deserve a break of something dramatic happened, like a key injury or a fluke play in a close game. However, it seems pretty clear. The Vols are one of the fortunate, successful teams that are considered contenders for the College Football Playoff. Perhaps making the College Football Playoff would prove that the Vols are completely recovered from a malady that has gone on way too long. 

Is it over? We’ll see. Football practice begins on Aug. 31.