Tennessee Football: 5 Bold Season Predictions for the Volunteers

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NASHVILLE, TN – DECEMBER 30: Dylan Utter #66 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers lines up against the University of Tennessee Volunteers during the first half of the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl at Nissan Stadium on December 30, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images) /

#5: Vols end up in a decent bowl game

I don’t think this is such a bold prediction as the others. Most sites have the Volunteers around the 5-6 win mark. I think that total is very possible. ESPN’s FPI has the Volunteers with a 5.9-6.1 projected win total. The FPI has Tennessee winning the ETSU, UTEP, Charlotte, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt.

Despite those numbers, I see a few more games that the Volunteers have a chance of sneaking out a win. I think the Volunteers have a chance to sneak out wins against WVU, Florida, South Carolina, and Missouri. The Volunteers likely won’t win all of those games, but the Volunteers can hang around with those teams and pull off an upset or two.

I don’t want to get too ahead of myself, but I can see the Volunteers finishing with 7-8 wins. I can also see them winning just 4-5 games. If the Volunteers are able to get to the 7-8 mark, they will likely be awarded a decent bowl game. To clarify, I think a decent bowl game is considered the Music City Bowl, the Texas Bowl, the Belk Bowl, and the Liberty Bowl. I still think the Volunteers are a few years away from a New Year’s Six bowl game.

Vols fans should be satisfied with six wins, but anything better would be a plus, especially with recruiting. The Volunteers would have a ton of hype heading into the 2019 year if they are able to get in a decent bowl game.

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