Tennessee football vs. Florida: 10 keys to the game

Jan 2, 2020; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Jeremy Pruitt watches his team stretch out before the game against the Indiana Hoosiers in the 2020 Taxslayer Gator Bowl at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 2, 2020; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Jeremy Pruitt watches his team stretch out before the game against the Indiana Hoosiers in the 2020 Taxslayer Gator Bowl at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
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FAYETTEVILLE, AR – NOVEMBER 7: Harrison Bailey #15 of the Tennessee Volunteers runs the ball during a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Razorback Stadium on November 7, 2020 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Razorbacks defeated the Volunteers 24-13. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
FAYETTEVILLE, AR – NOVEMBER 7: Harrison Bailey #15 of the Tennessee Volunteers runs the ball during a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Razorback Stadium on November 7, 2020 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Razorbacks defeated the Volunteers 24-13. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

5. UT Quarterback situation

Every week, Tennessee football fans want a change at quarterback, and every week, Jeremy Pruitt says that Jarrett Guarantano gives the Vols their best chance to win. To be fair to Pruitt, none of the other quarterbacks, including five-star freshman phenom Harrison Bailey, have done anything to prove they deserve to start.

Still, Guarantano missed almost the whole second half against the Arkansas Razorbacks due to an injury, and he then threw a horrible pick-six against the Auburn Tigers before not finishing that game. There’s a chance that Guarantano was one of the players affected by the contract tracing protocols as well, which throws another wrench in the process.

Pruitt’s depth chart released on Monday had Guarantano in there as the clear starter, but taking all this into account, you have to think things are up in the air. Forget even Bailey as the guy to start behind him at this point.

Could Brian Maurer or J.T. Shrout get the nod or just see some action? This whole situation is a mess, and nobody can think Prutt and Jim Chaney are managing it right, but what they do will be a huge factor in what happens on Saturday, good or bad.