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Tennessee football’s 2022 schedule: Ranking games by importance

By Caleb Calhoun

Sep 1, 2018; Charlotte, NC, USA; A Tennessee Volunteers helmet is seen pregame before the game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 1, 2018; Charlotte, NC, USA; A Tennessee Volunteers helmet is seen pregame before the game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 23, 2021; College Station, Texas, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks helmet on the sideline of the game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 23, 2021; College Station, Texas, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks helmet on the sideline of the game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports /

3. At South Carolina Gamecocks

Saturday, Nov. 19; Williams-Brice Stadium; Columbia, S.C.

While LSU is an opportunity game for Tennessee football, the South Carolina Gamecocks are a dangerous game. The Vols beat them 45-20 last year and should be favorites again this year, but it can’t be ignored how the circumstances are a lot different for this program entering its second year under head coach Shane Beamer.

UT has to face South Carolina on the road. Spencer Rattler is the quarterback now. This will be the seventh straight game for the Vols without a bye, as it’s the next to last game of the season. These things all make this matchup a heck of a lot more difficult, so it will require a lot more focus from Josh Heupel’s team than last year.

South Carolina beats LSU out mainly because it’s an SEC East foe, not just an SEC foe. However, there’s another layer here. The Vols have more recruiting battles with South Carolina than most schools, and as the Clemson Tigers seem to be on the decline under Dabo Swinnery, they have a chance to pounce.

Part of that pouncing means maintaining the ownership they have re-established in the series over the past three years. If the Vols can make it four straight, it’ll mean a lot for the program going forward under Heupel. This could have SEC implications as well.

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