How Tennessee Vols football could go from winless in SEC last year to 8-0 this fall

Blake Toppmeyer | Knoxville

Tennessee has a first-year coach, a new strength coach, a renovated weight room and an expanded practice field.

Hope springs eternal among Vols fans.

With optimism in mind, here’s how Tennessee could win each of its SEC games this season.

Tennessee Vols leave The Swamp winless -- again Tennessee Vols leave The Swamp winless -- again -- during their game against Florida on Sept. 16. The Vols have not won in Gainesville since 2003.

Sept. 22, vs. Florida

Path to victory: Jarrett Guarantano must outplay Florida’s quarterback

There are lot of similarities between these rivals. Among them: They’re each breaking in new coaches, and neither has declared a starting quarterback. Neither roster is devoid of talent, either, and the difference could come down to which quarterback has the better day.

Who can forget Florida beating Tennessee 26-20 last season thanks to Feleipe Franks’ 63-yard touchdown pass on the final play?

Guarantano appears to be positioning himself as UT’s starting QB. He’ll need to outduel UF’s quarterback, whether that’s Franks or Kyle Trask.

Sept. 29, at Georgia

Path to victory: Have a sizable edge in the turnover margin

Georgia, the favorite to win the SEC East, has a better team than Tennessee. That much is indisputable.

So, how do the Vols pull the upset? By forcing multiple turnovers while playing turnover free themselves.

That’s easier said than done. The Bulldogs had 16 turnovers in 15 games last season and never had more than two turnovers in a game.

Blake Toppmeyer and Mike Wilson talk Jarrett Guarantano, fan day Tennessee held an open practice and fan day Sunday at Neyland Stadium, where Jarrett Guarantano impressed

Oct. 13, at Auburn

Path to victory: The Vols sack Jarrett Stidham — a lot

Stidham is one of the SEC’s top quarterbacks. How do you stop him? Well, sacking him 11 times certainly helps. That’s how many times Clemson dropped Stidham en route to beating Auburn 14-6 last season.

Auburn suffered from shoddy pass protection all season, allowing 36 sacks in 14 games.

Oct. 20, vs. Alabama

Path to victory: UT plays perfectly; Alabama plays horribly

The Vols have lost the Third Saturday in October 11 straight times. Hard to envision that going any differently this year when UT hosts the defending national champions.

Everything would have to go Tennessee’s way, and even then, it might not be enough. Better off hoping the Tide’s bus stalls en route to the stadium.

Oct. 27, at South Carolina

Path to victory: Tennessee's defense repeats its 2017 performance

UT's defense was inconsistent last season, but one of its shining moments was against South Carolina. The Vols kept quarterback Jake Bentley in check, but the Gamecocks won 15-9 thanks to a fourth-quarter red-zone stand.

Repeat that defensive performance this year, and the offense might do enough for the Vols to come away winners.

Nov. 10, vs. Kentucky

Path to victory: Contain Benny Snell Jr.

Snell boldly declared himself the SEC’s best running back at the conference’s media days in July. It’s not a crazy sentiment. He is the SEC’s leading returning rusher after gaining 1,333 yards last season. He had 180 yards and three touchdowns against Tennessee, and the Wildcats won 29-26.

Contain Snell, though, and Kentucky isn’t a scary opponent.

Nov. 17, vs. Missouri

Path to victory: Winning a shootout

In Missouri’s last two matchups against Tennessee, the Tigers have scored a total of 87 points and amassed 1,399 yards. Drew Lock is still MU's quarterback, so it’s hard to think the Vols will shut down the Tigers' offense this year.

Better off hoping UT’s offense can thrive against what has been a shaky Missouri defense the past few years.

Nov. 24, at Vanderbilt

Path to victory: Don’t let Kyle Shurmur impersonate Danny Wuerffel

If you watched Shurmur against Tennessee the past two years, you’d think he was a Heisman Trophy winner. In those two games, Shurmur completed 41 of 65 passes for 699 yards with six touchdowns and one interception.

He’s a decent quarterback, but he’s not that good.

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