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Tennessee football in two of nation’s top 50 games, per online magazine

By Caleb Calhoun

GAINESVILLE, FL - SEPTEMBER 16: The line of scrimmage is seen during the game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on September 16, 2017 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)
GAINESVILLE, FL - SEPTEMBER 16: The line of scrimmage is seen during the game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on September 16, 2017 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images) /
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The new season makes two Tennessee football Volunteers games very intriguing to one pundit.

With revised schedules for the Big 12, ACC, SEC and Group of Five schools that are continuing to play, lots of games just got more interesting. The same holds true for Tennessee football, but one online magazine pundit is intrigued by games that were already on the Vols’ slate.

Pete Fiutak of College Football News had UT’s matchups against the Georgia Bulldogs and the Florida Gators on his list of the 50 most interesting games for 2020. Rocky Top will visit UGA on Oct. 10, and that matchup is 50th in his rankings. They will host UF on Dec. 5 for both teams’ final regular season game, and that matchup is 8th in his rankings.

Of course, both Florida and Georgia are top 10 teams, and Tennessee football is just trying to get on their level after losing to each of them for three straight years. Here is Fiutak’s explanations for why these games made the list.

"Tennessee won 34-31 in Athens back in 2016. This is the game to either make the Vols players in the East race, or push Georgia forward.…Florida has won 14 of the last 15 in a series that used to be among the biggest and best in the college football world. It’s the regular season finale, and it’s going to be a massive deal for both – Jeremy Pruitt’s Tennessee side needs a win in a game like this."

Given these explanations, Fituak seems to think that UT could potentially compete this year in the SEC East race. That would be a shocker to a lot of people even in Vol Nation, but it’s fair to see improvement is expected once again in Jeremy Pruitt’s third year.

Even if the Vols do compete, nobody expects them to contend with Georgia in Athens. That game has consistently been written off as their most likely loss, even more so than their home matchup with the Alabama Crimson Tide, which makes it puzzling to put that game on the list.

Perhaps Fiutak and CFN find that game interesting simply because it could determine just what level of play UT is currently at. If they think the Vols could actually beat the Dawgs, they are much higher on them than almost anybody else. Honestly, their matchups with the Auburn Tigers, Texas A&M Aggies and Kentucky Wildcats are more interesting.

Next. Vols' top 10 now-defunct rivalries. dark

On the other hand, Florida could be a possible upset. It’s at least a bit more realistic. Tennessee football does play them at home this year, they aren’t as good as Georgia, and it’s the last game of the year. Lots of things change throughout the course of the season. It’s unlikely, but anything can happen in a December showdown.

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