Ranking Every Tennessee Football Game in 2015 by Importance
Apr 11, 2015; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators head coach Jim McElwain huddles up with his team at the end of the Orange and Blue Debut at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Orange defeated Blue 31-6. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
1. Florida Gators
No surprise here.
Traditionally, Florida is always the most important game for the Vols. This year it’s for different reasons though, seeing as how a win will put neither team in the driver’s seat of the SEC East race.
Tennessee has to beat the Gators this year. Enough is enough! This is truly an everything to gain, everything to lose game for the Vols. While there may be no national implications, the rivalry still exists between the two schools.
And the Vols have to catch up to restore it. Start with the fact that this is an SEC East road game that is a toss-up this year, all the factors that make this a Top Five match-up already.
Add in the fact that this is a rivalry game.
Finally, throw in the 10-game winning streak so heavily etched in the minds of every Vol fan and player and the psychological impact of this game can’t be measured. There is not a win any Tennessee fan wants more badly than this one going into the year, and a win in Gainesville would be the biggest momentum boost of the season for the Vols.
It would accomplish everything any of the other important games would, and it would erase years of frustration. This is the one measuring stick for the Vols.
And what is clear overall is that the most important thing for this fan base is to come out of September undefeated. If that happens, we’ve got a real season on our hands.
If there is one or two losses, this team could be headed for trouble.