Tennessee took the day off on Saturday. The SEC kept rolling – and evolving.
It seems there is some clarity headed into the last month of the regular season. Here are three developments that you need to know as it pertains to the Vols.
The Cats have been declawed
There was a discussion, albeit brief, that Kentucky was tough, physical and a bad matchup for Tennessee. That was a long time ago, when Kentucky beat then No. 6 Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss. I recall at the time telling a Kentucky fan – and anyone that wanted to listen – that the Cats would be a tough matchup for the Vols.
I was wrong.
Kentucky has gone from a September surprise to an abysmal October. Kentucky hasn’t scored more than 20 points in an SEC game this season. The Vols’ defense should have no problem corralling the Cats, who lost to Auburn 24-10 on Saturday.
The Vols need some help to make the SEC Championship Game
If Tennessee, LSU and Texas A&M win the remainder of their games, the Tigers and Aggies would be set up for a rematch in the SEC Championship Game after LSU beat A&M 38-23 on Saturday.
Tennessee would be ahead of Texas if the Vols win out because of their common opponent against Georgia. LSU would win a tiebreaker against the Vols because of Arkansas. The Tigers beat the Razorbacks 38-23 on Oct. 26. The Vols lost to the Hawgs 19-14 on Oct. 5, meaning LSU would win the tiebreaker against the Vols.
The SEC determines the championship game contenders based on head-to-head, then record versus common conference opponents. By winning out, the Vols would surpass Texas with its win over Georgia. The Longhorns lost to the Bulldogs 30-15 on Oct. 19.
Of course, that’s assuming all three teams win out, which seems unlikely this season given the unpredictable nature of teams week-to-week.
Vanderbilt is the toughest game on the schedule other than Georgia – seriously
Of course, Tennessee will be underdogs on Nov. 16 when they travel Athens to play Georgia. However, other than that, the Vols will be heavy favorites in the remainder of their games.
There’s no reason to think Tennessee can’t dispatch Kentucky and Mississippi State in the next two weeks. Then, the Vols play Georgia and should hammer UTEP on Nov. 23.
The Vols finish the season with Vanderbilt and a possible College Football Playoff berth on the line. Everyone knows that Vandy beat then No.1 Alabama 40-35 in Nashville. However, Vanderbilt also took Texas to the wire in a 27-24 loss in Nashville on Saturday. The Tennessee trip to the mid-state area could have more at stake than anytime in the series since the 1930’s.
