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Tennessee football will pull two of SEC’s biggest upsets, national publication says

By Caleb Calhoun

AUBURN, AL - OCTOBER 13: Quarterback Jarrett Guarantano #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrates after defeating the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on October 13, 2018 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)
AUBURN, AL - OCTOBER 13: Quarterback Jarrett Guarantano #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrates after defeating the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on October 13, 2018 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images) /
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Could the Tennessee football Volunteers will have two of the Southeastern Conference’s top 10 upsets in 2020?

Obviously, Tennessee football drew a much harder schedule once the Auburn Tigers and Texas A&M Aggies were added to their slate. Combine those games with the Alabama Crimson Tide, Florida Gators and Georgia Bulldogs, and the Vols are likely to be underdogs in at least half their outings this year.

However, that doesn’t mean they should be counted out. Athlon Sports is predicting that Rocky Top will have two of the SEC’s 10 biggest upsets this year, meaning these new games are opportunities for the Vols, not drawbacks.

Yes, the outlet predicts Tennessee football will upset both of its new opponents, at Auburn on Nov. 21 and against Texas A&M on Nov. 14, which came at No. 7 and No. 4 in these rankings respectively. Here’s a bit of what was written about the Texas A&M game.

"If the Volunteers get the consistency from the quarterback position this year, there is no reason they can’t make a signature win or two happen. Jarrett Guarantano is nothing if not experienced in the SEC rigors. The other positive sign for the Big Orange? Sure, it’s not a bye week before the Aggies come to town, but it’s as close as it gets since UT will play Arkansas the week prior."

It is true that UT upset Auburn on the road just two years ago, and Jeremy Pruitt has a history of having his way with that program. Heck, he led Jimbo Fisher to his only national title by beating Auburn as the Florida State Seminoles’ defensive coordinator in 2013. Ironically, Fisher is obviously now Texas A&M’s head coach.

Anyway, if the Vols do pull off these two upsets, then they could have a surprisingly great season amidst this 10-game SEC-only schedule. After all, they should beat the Missouri Tigers and then Vanderbilt Commodores and Arkansas Razorbacks on the road. Their two most closely matched games will be the South Carolina Gamecocks on the road and the Kentucky Wildcats at home.

Next. Vols 10 toughest records to break. dark

However, South Carolina and Kentucky are extremely winnable. As a result, if these predictions are to come true, Tennessee football could certainly be looking at a 7-3 record this year, which would be a huge step forward for Jeremy Pruitt’s team in this unique season. At the same time, some Vol fans don’t even believe these should be considered giant upsets.

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