Tennessee football: Ranking games on Vols 2018 schedule by importance

5. South Carolina Gamecocks

We continue with our toss-up games that are probably losses for Tennessee football. The Vols have lost the last two to the South Carolina Gamecocks, albeit close ones, and this year they have to travel to Columbia with the best team Will Muschamp has had there while they rebuild with a new head coach and new offensive and defensive systems. This could get ugly.

The game features two head coaches who were Nick Saban assistants, one of whom was the defensive coordinator for his first national championship team and the other being the defensive coordinator for his most recent national championship team. The match-ups alone make this a very difficult game combined with it being on the road.

However, it is the first one of major importance. We debate with ourselves about the West Virginia Mountaineers game being a toss-up. But this one truly is a toss-up, even if it favors South Carolina. The Gamecocks are the first game on this slate that will truly go towards defining the season for the Vols.

We said in our opening they could go 3-9 or 8-4. This is in that five-game difference. Should the Vols win they will have an amazing leg up in trying to have a successful first season. But a loss will make things more difficult, as they’ll have much less breathing room. This game comes on the heels of a brutal four-game stretch as well, and it doesn’t get any easier. But it could be their first winnable game in a while on the season.