2 Tennessee Vols games listed among 'most meaningful' games in 2023
Two of the games on the Tennessee Vols' schedule were listed by 247Sports this week among the 23 "most meaningful" games in 2023. Tennessee's matchup against Alabama on October 21 in Tuscaloosa was listed as the No. 21 most meaningful game in 2023. From 247Sports: The "Third Saturday in October" altered both of these programs' […]
Two of the games on the Tennessee Vols' schedule were listed by 247Sports this week among the 23 "most meaningful" games in 2023.
Tennessee's matchup against Alabama on October 21 in Tuscaloosa was listed as the No. 21 most meaningful game in 2023.
From 247Sports: The "Third Saturday in October" altered both of these programs' seasons a great deal in 2022 after the Volunteers snapped a lengthy losing skid against their cross-divisional rival from the West. The setback wound up costing the Crimson Tide a berth in the Playoff after Alabama lost a second regular-season contest at LSU later in the year and pushed Tennessee to a No. 1 ranking in the first CFP rankings.
The Vols' home game against Georgia on November 18 was listed as the No. 4 most meaningful game in 2023 (it's likely the Bulldogs' toughest game on their schedule in 2023).
From 247Sports: A matchup of epic proportions last season between the hedges, Georgia outlasted Tennessee with an impressive defensive showing and pushed ahead in the Playoff rankings at the time. The Volunteers' season unraveled at South Carolina two weeks later while the Bulldogs went on to finish unbeaten and capture their second-straight national title. This time around, Kirby Smart's group goes to Neyland Stadium, where they could carry a nation-leading 25-game winning streak into a sea of orange. This is Georgia's toughest game on an otherwise cakewalk SEC schedule in 2023 by league standards.
It's been a while since the Vols were playing in games that were deemed as games that will have a major impact on crowning a national champion.
And certainly no one expected Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel to have the Vols in these types of games this quickly after taking over a 3-7 program that hit rock bottom in late 2020.
But that's exactly the position Heupel has the Vols in entering the 2023 season. The decision to hire Heupel in early 2021 was questioned by plenty (myself included), but it's clear that athletic Danny White made the best decision possible by hiring Heupel away from UCF.
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