Tennessee football: ESPN's Pat McAfee pegs Vols as SEC dark horse for 2023
The Tennessee Volunteers took the football world by storm in 2022, coming from nowhere to win 11 games, topple Clemson in the Orange Bowl, and record the school's first top 10 finish (should have been top 5) in what's felt like eons. As they rose in the standings, they earned the attention of ESPN's College […]
The Tennessee Volunteers took the football world by storm in 2022, coming from nowhere to win 11 games, topple Clemson in the Orange Bowl, and record the school's first top 10 finish (should have been top 5) in what's felt like eons.
As they rose in the standings, they earned the attention of ESPN's College Gameday show, which covered the Volunteers three times during the season – vs. Florida, vs. Alabama, and at Georgia. As it turns out, one of the co-hosts fell in love with the Volunteers during their magical run. And he sees big things for the Vols in 2023.
"It kind of feels like a cop out since they're the twelfth-ranked team in the country, but I like Tennessee," McAfee said. "Now it's another year with (Josh) Heupel and the system, and obviously Joe (Milton) is going to have to do a good job at quarterback, but they're plus 1500 to win the SEC, so it is a long shot, it is a dark horse. What we did with them last year, that magical run, it was beautiful. Made me fall in love with Rocky Top. I think Tennessee is a nice dark horse."
"That was fun," Kirk Herstreit added.
To be fair, McAfee really did dig the Vols last season. He picked the Vols on College Gameday to win all three of their games against Florida, Alabama, and Georgia. And he had a heck of a time with Vol Navy fans on the Tennessee River the morning of the Alabama game.
McAfee joined College Gameday as a regular analyst a year ago and has brought a lighter mood to the show. McAfee was an All-Pro punter for the Indianapolis Colts and former teammate of Peyton Manning. He's since become one of the most popular people in the sports media industry, with the Pat McAfee Show becoming a massive success.
Now, it appears he has a soft spot for the Big Orange. And Heupel, Milton, and the Vols will try to show his faith in Tennessee this fall is well founded.
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Featured image via Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
