Andy Staples of Sports Illustrated said he isn’t sold on Tennessee just yet. Neither is Jon Solomon of CBS Sports. Ron Higgins of the New Orleans Times-Picayune said he wants to see the Vols beat good opponents before he buys in. Higgins pointed out that UT is 4-31 against ranked opponents since Phillip Fulmer was fired.
Overall, the Vols are 4-35 against ranked foes since last winning the East Division in 2007.
“They need to beat Florida for the first time since 2004,” Staples said. “It’s still insane to say Tennessee hasn’t beaten Florida since Facebook was in its infancy.