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Tennessee football either going 6-6 or 7-5 based on outlet’s expert picks

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 22: Smokey the live Tennessee Volunteers mascot on the sidelines during the game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on September 22, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Florida won the game 47-21. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 22: Smokey the live Tennessee Volunteers mascot on the sidelines during the game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on September 22, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Florida won the game 47-21. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /
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Despite all the issues facing Josh Heupel’s first team on Rocky Top, every expert at one outlet is predicting that Tennessee football will at least reach bowl eligibility on the field. However, there’s not a lot of range in terms of how far they will go.

In a game by game prediction for the Vols’ 2021 season by Athlon’s three experts, two have UT going 6-6 while one has them going 7-5. Whether or not that’s enough to get them to a bowl given the NCAA investigation is a different story.

Steve Lassan and Mark Ross were the ones who called for Tennessee football to go .500 on the year. Ron McVey stood alone in picking UT to finish above .500, but what was the difference in the picks they all made?

Well, it actually just came down to one game: at the Kentucky Wildcats. McVey has Rocky Top beating UK despite losing to them 34-7 at home last year and playing them on the road this year. Lassan and Ross both have them losing that game.

Every other matchup resulted in the same prediction for all three. That includes a 3-0 start with projected wins over the Bowling Green Falcons, Pittsburgh Panthers and Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles before back to back losses at the Florida Gators and Missouri Tigers.

They all picked the Vols to beat the South Carolina Gamecocks before losing to the Ole Miss Rebels at home and Alabama Crimson Tide on the road. A bye is after Bama, which is when the Kentucky game comes, and all three experts have them closing out the season by losing at the Georgia Bulldogs but then beating the South Alabama Jaguars and Vanderbilt Commodores at home.

Honestly, there’s not much to dispute about these projections. However, three more games could be in question. Ole Miss isn’t necessarily a guaranteed loss since that game is in Knoxville, and given what UT did to Mizzou last year, it holds true for that game as well. Pitt, meanwhile, isn’t necessarily a guaranteed win.

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That means Tennessee football’s range is likely 5-7 to as good as 9-3, but that’s assuming they don’t have any bad losses in Heupel’s first year. Given the team he’s dealing with, it’s hard to say that won’t happen.

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