One thing I hadn’t latched onto was Tennessee’s schedule this year. It’s definitely manageable. Outside of a tough midseason stretch against the three preseason ranked teams the Vols face — @ Florida 9/21, Georgia 10/5 and @ Alabama 10/19 — the rest hearkens back to prime Fulmer days. Non-conference opponents are Georgia State, BYU, Chattanooga and UAB (they open the season against the first three in a row). November is just like they’re used to.
Basically, if UT can upset Florida or Georgia, it should be in the thick of things for the division.
Get The Picture 
Are we assuming Vol wins over Mizzou, Kentucky, SCU, and Vanderbilt? That seems bold.
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Didn’t say they’d win, just be in the mix. UK will be down this season, Mizzou has to replace a QB, talent gap with SC has shrunk (!). Of course, Vandy will be tough. 😉
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I mean, this class of Commodorks basically own the ‘Billies. So…
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They return the worst line in the conference and replace basically their entire DL. They need to focus on beating Vandy and Missouri and beating Muschamp at least once in program history before they worry about the division. Pruitt will be kicking dry erase boards again well before Halloween and their will be talk that Fulmer will have to make the great personal sacrifice of stepping in as emergency interim coach. Chaos is a big urnge ladder to Fat Phil.
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I had a related thought this morning with respect to non-conference scheduling. Seems like TV would be a lot more interested in Georgia v Florida St, ND, Oklahoma, etc. than some of the weak games you see from other SEC teams. I wonder if the non-conference games ever come up in SEC meetings with respect to TV revenue. Seems like our fearless leader could either push other teams to up their schedule or command a bigger piece of the pie.
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BYU is no automatic for them. Just as Wisconsin about last year
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When your toughest non-conference game is at home against a team that went 6-6 in the regular season last year, I don’t think it’s going out on a limb to suggest it’s not too challenging.
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Yeah, but the Viles went 5-7 and lost 6 games by 25+ points. “Challenge” is a relative term.
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Not suggesting that BYU is any kind of powerhouse. Just pointing out that for an also ran like the Big Urnge, anything beyond a lower tier FCS school on the schedule is no slam dunk.
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It might be challenging if your record was 5-7, like Tennessee’s was.
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I have always been amused at respondents’ ability to post a reply in the wrong place.
Until now.
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First!
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I wouldn’t mind seeing them upset UF in a double overtime nail biter where both teams physically maul themselves into a paste that leaves them depleted for the rest of the season.
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I hate watching that game every year. No matter who loses I’m disappointed that the other team did not lose as well. I can never feel good about either one of those teams winning anything.
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I have to admit their last two games have been entertaining derpfests.
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For sure, true meteor game.
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Drawing Mississippi State and Alabama from the West is no picnic for Tennessee.
Mizzou gets Ole Miss and Arkansas.
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We might be playing an unbeaten Mizzou when that game rolls around. Hopefully that’s not THE game we seem to have every year.
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Was looking at the miss. state game also Big vandy…it’s manageable…but then monkeys might fly out my butt also… wasn’t pruitt hired out of prior rejections, not for his recruiting prowess?
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So you’re saying this is the year they get over the Vandy hump?
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Yep the guy that ranked our 4 toughest games likely should have included this one instead of Auburn.
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Even if they upset UGA or UF they are relying on the team that they upset to have 2 losses and the other to have 3. I don’t see Tenn going 2 of 3 against Bama, UGA, and UF. If Pruitt gets a W against any of those 3 it is a big year in Knoxville.
I still see UF and UGA fighting for the East and Tenn to move into the clear best of rest. I could Tenn having a 3 loss season but I could also see them going .500.
UK lost loads of talent. SCU likely continues their slide. Mizzou is on probation. Vandy who knows they might fight Tenn for the best of the rest.
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Schedule certainly sets up to get them to a cold weather bowl, which they will loudly celebrate, but I don’t see them competing for the East title. I see Pruitt putting some bite in that defense if he can find some DLs, but the OL and QB talent will tough to overcome. I can see a
6-6 season, possibly a 7-5, but 8-4 is quite a stretch, imo. Hard to say with confidence because I just don’t know the talent of their opponents, but I really wouldn’t mind seeing them knock FU off and put more dirt on their pansy HC. Mullen is a 1st class prick and has helped move them up the hate ladder for me.
Muschamp has to wonder who made up that schedule he faces, and be very envious of what TN has done to make sure they get a bowl. Cocks seriously might not make a bowl this year, but I also wish them well against Dancing Machine Mullen.
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