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Tennessee football has another chance to end Top 10 losing streak

By Caleb Calhoun

GAINESVILLE, FL - SEPTEMBER 16: Head Coach Butch Jones of the Tennessee Volunteers is seen on the sidelines during the second half of their game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on September 16, 2017 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)
GAINESVILLE, FL - SEPTEMBER 16: Head Coach Butch Jones of the Tennessee Volunteers is seen on the sidelines during the second half of their game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on September 16, 2017 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images) /
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Tennessee football hasn’t beaten a Top 10 team since Phillip Fulmer was head coach. The Volunteers have another shot against the Georgia Bulldogs Saturday.

Related Story: 5 Georgia wins that turned around Vols seasons

Under Butch Jones, Tennessee football has ended numerous droughts. But one bad drought that they continue to have is losing streaks against Top 10 teams.

The Vols have some big wins over Top 25 teams the past four years. And they have beaten teams that finished the season in the Top 10.

But they have not beaten a Top 10 team that was there when they played them under Jones. In fact, they haven’t won such a game since 2006, when they defeated the Georgia Bulldogs on the road 51-33.

Chris Low tweeted out a shocking stat on the matter earlier this week.

His stat doesn’t do it justice, though. Tennessee is actually on a 26-game losing streak against AP Top 10 teams. They lost to the Florida Gators and LSU Tigers in 2007. The closest they have come to beating a Top 10 team was the Georgia Bulldogs in 2007. The Dawgs were No. 12 at the time.

Not only is that a bad losing streak, but the Vols have only come within single-digits of winning in  only six of those 26 games. It has been sheer domination and embarrassment when they face Top 25 teams.

On Saturday, Tennessee football faces Georgia again, and they have another opportunity to end that drought. Right now, Kirby Smart’s team is riding high, ranked No. 7 in the country.

However, the Vols are much better than people think. And they have been knocking on the door in the past against Georgia to end this Top 10 drought. Take a look at what they did in 2013 and 2012.

Next: Tennessee vs. Georgia: 10 Keys to the game

And twice in this losing streak, they beat Georgia when the Dawgs were just outside of the Top 10. So if they’re going to end the drought, Georgia is the team to do it against. But given the morale behind the program and the support for Butch Jones at this stage, it’s still hard to see that happening.

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