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topicnews · October 16, 2024

The Tennessee football crowd could play a role against Alabama and other SEC picks

The Tennessee football crowd could play a role against Alabama and other SEC picks

Tennessee football’s SEC football schedule may be even more accommodating than expected in the preseason.

From this perspective, the three toughest games were Oklahoma, Alabama and Georgia. The Vols were expected to be clear favorites in the remaining games, which included a lighter non-conference schedule.

But as the second half of the season begins — and Saturday’s game against Alabama at Neyland Stadium — the schedule may not be as difficult as first thought. And despite a surprising loss to 13.5-point underdog Arkansas and an offense that can’t get out of the way, the Vols remain in the running for a spot in the College Football Playoff.

It doesn’t matter that the Vols still have games against top 10 Georgia and Alabama. These games no longer look as daunting as they did last season.

In fact, the Vols should be thankful they don’t have to play Texas. Their schedule also does not include two other SEC playoff contenders, Texas A&M and LSU. Also not included is Ole Miss, which has two losses but could get back into the playoff discussion with a win against Georgia in November.

Tennessee 24, Alabama 23: You can’t count on Tennessee’s struggling passing attack to expose the Tide’s vulnerable secondary, but you can count on running back Dylan Sampson and UT’s defense.

You can also count on the Tennessee audience. This isn’t Georgia, where coach Kirby Smart has to ask his fans to turn up the volume.

The possibility of beating Florida and Alabama on back-to-back Saturdays should have Tennessee fans cheering as loudly as ever.

Texas 31, Georgia 27: The Bulldogs offense struggled terribly against Kentucky. Their defense failed in the second half of a 41-31 win over Mississippi State last week.

So when can you expect Georgia to put it all together?

Answer: Not this Saturday in Austin, Texas.

Texas A&M 38, Mississippi State 22: The Aggies rank ninth nationally in rushing yards per game. Mississippi State ranks 119th in run defense.

The stats speak for the Aggies. The same applies to dynamics. They have won five straight games since their opening game loss to Notre Dame.

LSU 27, Arkansas 24: The Tigers have won seven of the last eight games in a series known as the “Battle for the Boot.” Hopefully Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman doesn’t take this personally because he’s expected to “get the boot” at the end of the season, if not sooner.

Although LSU has the upper hand in the series, the last four games have each been decided by three points.

Missouri 34, Auburn 28: The turning point for Auburn came long before the loss to Cal or its first three SEC games. It came as coach Hugh Freeze failed to get his 2025 recruiting class — currently ranked third nationally in the 247Sports Composite — to leave high school a year early and transfer to Auburn.

Then Freeze would have even more material for his favorite topic: how young his team is.

Oklahoma 22, South Carolina 20: The Sooners began the season with Jackson Arnold at quarterback, then switched to freshman Michael Hawkins when their offense faltered in a loss to Tennessee. Now it might be time to give Arnold another chance.

But if the Sooners want a quarterback who can give them 1.4 yards per carry, Hawkins is their man. He had 20 carries for 27 yards in the 34-3 loss to Texas.

Florida 20, Kentucky 17: If you’re looking for evidence of Florida’s recent football futility, look no further. For example: The Gators have lost three games in a row to Kentucky.

But the series is coming to an end. Billy Napier will step up from his position as coach and the Gators will continue their quest for a winning season.

Sorry, I got carried away. The previous sentence should have read: “Billy Napier will still be fired and the Gators will continue to hope for a lost season.”

Vanderbilt 41, Ball State 13: A win over one of the worst teams in the country will bring the Commodores one step closer to a bowl game.

ADAMS: Not in an artistic way, but Tennessee football is happy about every win against Florida

Notice what I just did. I used “one of the worst teams in the nation” and “the Commodores” in the same sentence while referring to another team.

It’s an example of my newfound respect for the Commodores, who would be 0-3 in the SEC had they not lost to Missouri in overtime.

Record: 59-15 (.792), 39-23 (.629) against the spread.

John Adams is a senior columnist. He can be reached at 865-342-6284 or [email protected]. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.

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