The Tennessee Vols are at a pivotal point in Josh Heupel's first season leading the program.

Heupel inherited a mess at UT, thanks to former Vols head coach Jeremy Pruitt and a lengthy recruiting investigation that is still ongoing.

Thanks to that mess, Heupel isn't facing enormous expectations in year one.

But fans still want to see results. Tennessee fans have grown accustomed to making excuses for first-year Vol head coaches. Depth is always an issue. So is talent. Fans are ready to see a new head coach overcome those challenges and exceed expectations in year one.

Heupel has a chance to be that coach.

And this week's game against South Carolina will be a key reason why Heupel does or doesn't exceed those expectations.

Tennessee has some momentum after boat racing Missouri last Saturday, beating the Tigers 62-24 in Columbia.

As a result of the win against Mizzou, the Vols opened as a 12.5 point favorite over South Carolina.

It's safe to say that most folks are expecting the Vols to win convincingly against the Gamecocks in Knoxville on Saturday.

However, this is college football we're talking about. We've all learned by now to expect the unexpected (like Kentucky beating Florida).

For the most part, any team in the SEC can beat any other team (outside of Alabama and Georgia….and Vanderbilt) on any given Saturday.

Tennessee should beat South Carolina. But Tennessee is also more than capable of losing to South Carolina. It's extremely important that UT's players don't read their own press this week. They have to treat the game against the Gamecocks as a brand new season. The Vols have to pretend like last week against Missouri never happened.

That all falls on the head coach. And fortunately for Tennessee, Heupel is doing a great job this week of keeping his players grounded.

Heupel is making sure his players understand that each week the slate is wiped clean. Every game is a new challenge.

"College football is a game of 12 weeks, but it’s a one-week season every single week," said Heupel on Monday. "Talked to the football team about that. If you try to compare and contrast scores from week to week, none of it’s going to make any sense. Man, it’s about your same competitive spirit, competitive composure when you get out there. It’s about your process leading up to kickoff."

Heupel doesn't want his players paying attention to any "outside noise" — regardless of whether it's positive or negative.

"They pay attention to the outside noise, positive or negative, they’re letting circumstances control who they are on a daily basis that have no bearing on what’s going to happen in a competitive environment," explained Heupel. "For your friends, your family, your girlfriend, your dog, right, they get to talk about what happened the previous week. As a competitor, the tough thing and the great thing is that when you come back in the building, man it’s on to the next one and the only thing that matters is the next one."

“We’re only as good as we are next Saturday, 12 o’clock against South Carolina. I think our kids are buying into that."

The Vols' matchup against South Carolina has all the makings of a "trap game" for Tennessee. Noon game, big home favorite, and possibly looking ahead to a Saturday night home matchup with Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss on October 16.

Heupel, though, is doing his best to make sure his players are keeping their focus on the task at hand. The only task that matters. Beating South Carolina.

Featured image via UTSports.com/Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports