Tennessee football: 5 bold predictions for the Vols 2018 season

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 14: Jarrett Guarantano #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers runs with the ball defended by D.J. Smith #24 of the South Carolina Gamecocks during the first half at Neyland Stadium on October 14, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 14: Jarrett Guarantano #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers runs with the ball defended by D.J. Smith #24 of the South Carolina Gamecocks during the first half at Neyland Stadium on October 14, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
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Tennessee football
KNOXVILLE, TN – September 24: Jauan Jennings #15 of the Tennessee Volunteers runs up the sideline with a 67-yard touchdown reception against the Florida Gators in the fourth quarter at Neyland Stadium on September 24, 2016, in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee defeated Florida 38-28. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

No.2 – Beat Florida, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt all by ten points each

As our rankings move on, the harder the predictions become. Number two on our list is beating Florida, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt in the same season.

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  • You might be thinking this is not bold at all. And, like me, you may already feel the Vols will beat all three teams this season. You can find our week-by-week predictions here. However, it is not all that common that the Vols beat all three teams in the same season.

    In fact, the last time Tennessee football beat all three teams in the same season was back in 2004. If you dive into the numbers a little further, you’ll find that the Vols have only beat all three teams in the same season only four times in the past 20 years.

    In the past five years, the Vols are 1-4 against Florida, 2-3 against Vanderbilt, and 4-1 against Kentucky. If you take a look at the records from the past ten seasons, the Vols are 1-9 against Florida, 6-4 against Vanderbilt, and 8-2 against Kentucky.

    If Tennessee could win these three games and the three nonconference games that they are supposed to win, they could be well on their way to a seven or eight-win season.