Postseason/Overall Thoughts
Daniel: I don’t really know how it will all shake out on a game-to-game basis, but I do think 10-2 will be the final regular-season result for UT. I expect the Vols to take care of business in the opening three weeks and the closing five (albeit with maybe a scare or two), and then the true narrative comes down to how they perform in the four-game gauntlet of Florida, Georgia, A&M and Alabama. I think 3-1 is very possible, but 2-2, as of now, is the most likely scenario in my mind. I’d be surprised at 1-3, 0-4 or 4-0.
As long as those two losses aren’t to both Georgia and Florida, I think the Vols end up in Atlanta. My initial gut says they fall just short to the West’s representative, and end up on the bubble between a New Year’s Six Bowl and the Citrus Bowl.
One thing is for sure: Anything truly is possible for this team. I don’t think anybody picking UT to make the playoffs is crazy, I just will need to see Butch Jones and this team prove that they can win the big games more consistently.
Nathanael: Going through these games, I almost picked the Vols to go 11-1. I truly think this team can beat every single team on their schedule, but I think a slip up or two is going to happen. I agree with Daniel that the Vols take care of business in their first three games and final five, but that four game stretch at the end of September and most of October will decide the season.
Somehow, some way, I think the Vols end up 10-2. These are the games I think they’ll win and lose, but it could be a totally different combo than that. But when the season is over, the Vols will be 10-2 in some way in my opinion. And they will face Alabama in the SEC Championship Game and….
Lose. They’ll lose to the Tide again.
But they’ll end up in a New Year’s Six Bowl and cap off a great season with a bowl victory. Honestly, the Vols could make the playoffs this year. They have that type of talent. But I don’t have the confidence in the coaching staff just yet to make that prediction. These are my picks before the season, and if Butch and his staff prove me wrong early on, I’ll change my postseason prediction accordingly.
Stephen: Holy crap. Did I just pick Tennessee to go 12-0? I can’t believe it…
Well, I should probably preface everything by saying while I do think a win versus Florida is going to happen, Georgia, Texas A&M, and Alabama could honestly go either way. I do think Tennessee has the talent to beat each of those teams, but this is a preseason prediction. Which means I reserve the right to change my prediction after actually seeing the Vols play.
Nonetheless, I will stick to my guns and give the lone, 12-0 prediction. Now, what happens in Atlanta is anyone’s guess. It honestly depends on who they play. If it’s Ole Miss or Alabama, I wouldn’t like Tennessee’s chances. If it’s LSU, I think Tennessee will win and go on to be the number one seed in the playoffs. And just for personal enjoyment, whether it’s the Citrus Bowl or in the playoffs, I hope and pray they get to play Michigan somewhere in there.
Oh! One last thing. If Tennessee does go at least 10-2, regardless of how they do in the post-season, I will also predict that Tennessee lands five-star recruits Trey Smith and DeAngelo Gibbs and they find a way to finish with another Top-15 recruiting class.
The End.
