Tennessee football: Vols win over Auburn ended 15 losing streaks

9. Games against SEC West teams (15 games)

Last win: 2010; Tennessee beats Ole Miss 52-14

Of all the losing streaks Tennessee football had been suffering heading into Saturday’s game, this was the one that stood out the most among Vols fans. There was a time in the 1990s in which Rocky Top didn’t even consider the SEC West a threat.

There was a time, from 1995 to 1999, in which the Vols won 15 straight games against SEC West teams. They owned the division. But since this decade began, they have collapsed against teams from the other division.

Of course, it really began in 2008, when they went 1-2 vs. the West. Following that was an 0-3 stint in 2009. These guys suffered a six-game losing streak against the other division during that time and only broke it with this win.

At the time, this was a game signifying a turnaround for the Vols. It was Derek Dooley’s first year, and the team had fallen to 2-6 on the season. People were giving him a break, though, because of how bad of shape the program was in given all the attrition.

And after a win over the Memphis Tigers, this was the game that could get them to a bowl. Not only did they win. They dominated. That got them to 4-6, and they knew they would beat the Vanderbilt Commodores and Kentucky Wildcats to reach 6-6. Dooley didn’t work out, but this was part of the one positive stretch run of his career in Knoxville. Nothing good had come against the SEC West for Rocky Top since, until Saturday against Auburn.