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Lee Corso picks Tennessee football for sixth time; Here are the past five

By Caleb Calhoun

Lee Corso kisses a Tennessee Volunteers football helmet on the set of the ESPN College GameDay stage outside of Ayres Hall on the University of Tennessee campus in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022. The flagship ESPN college football pregame show returned for the tenth time to Knoxville as the No. 12 Vols hosted the No. 22 Gators.Kns Espn College Gameday
Lee Corso kisses a Tennessee Volunteers football helmet on the set of the ESPN College GameDay stage outside of Ayres Hall on the University of Tennessee campus in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022. The flagship ESPN college football pregame show returned for the tenth time to Knoxville as the No. 12 Vols hosted the No. 22 Gators.Kns Espn College Gameday /
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Sep 15, 2012; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Derek Dooley catches a pass intended for wide receiver Zach Rogers (83) during the second half of the game against the Florida Gators at Neyland Stadium. Florida won by a score of 37 to 20. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 15, 2012; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Derek Dooley catches a pass intended for wide receiver Zach Rogers (83) during the second half of the game against the Florida Gators at Neyland Stadium. Florida won by a score of 37 to 20. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /

840. 20. 839. Final. 37

4. Sept. 15, 2012

Here is the last time Lee Corso picked Tennessee football over Florida, and it didn’t end well. Kenny Chesney was guest picker in this one, and although the Vols were lower-ranked in both polls, they were favored, and all the momentum was behind them. The vibe back then was actually very similar to this game.

At the time, the Vols were in the top 25 for the first time in over four years. They were on a seven-game losing streak to Florida, but they were 2-0. This was going to be the game in which the program arrived in its third year under Derek Dooley, who had said in the offseason that teams wouldn’t have the Vols to kick around anymore.

In the second half, that seemed to be the case. Rocky Top stopped Florida on a fake punt up 20-13 in the third quarter, got the ball near midfield and had a chance to put the nail in the coffin. You could feel it. However, Florida got a sack, killed the drive and then forced a punt.

The Gators then reeled off 24 straight points and took control of the game. A bad defensive coordinator hire in the offseason, Sal Sunseri, became evident then, and it derailed all the momentum of the season along with Dooley’s job, as they once again went on a four-game losing streak into the end of October two weeks later en route to a 5-7 year.

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