A gut-wrenching 63-38 loss to South Carolina ended Tennessee’s title hopes just seven days ago. Hendon Hooker was lost for the season with a torn ACL. Lockerroom drama with Jeremy Banks was essentially confirmed by various reports and by the way Josh Heupel commented throughout the week.
Kirk Herbstreit announced to the world during the College Football Playoff rankings reveal that Tennessee was going to lose to Vanderbilt. Plenty agreed.
It all could have fallen apart 2016-style for Josh Heupel, but it didn’t. In fact, quite the opposite.
Heading to Nashville to face a red hot Vanderbilt team, it almost felt like a setup.