247Sports predicts the Tennessee Vols' final record in 2022

247Sports made their final record predictions for each SEC team in 2022 and I think Tennessee Vols fans will like how they see UT's season playing out. The national sports media outlet has the Vols going 9-3 in 2022 with a 5-3 record in the SEC. From 247Sports: There's value in the 8.5 wins over […]

Zach Ragan — Tennessee Volunteers News Writer
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247Sports made their final record predictions for each SEC team in 2022 and I think Tennessee Vols fans will like how they see UT's season playing out.

The national sports media outlet has the Vols going 9-3 in 2022 with a 5-3 record in the SEC.

From 247Sports:

There's value in the 8.5 wins over here if you're a believer in Tennessee this season. Let's take a look at the 50-50 games on the schedule — Florida (Sept. 24), at LSU (Oct. 8), Kentucky (Oct. 29), at South Carolina (Nov. 19). If you're confident the Vols can, at worst, go 3-1 over that four-game portion with the other losses this season coming to Alabama and Georgia, well, you've got your nine wins and a comfortable over. Josh Heupel has this program on the come up and a 7-5 finish, considering the hype, would be a disappointment.

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Tennessee wide receiver Jimmy Calloway (9) is pushed out of bounds during an NCAA college football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Pittsburgh Panthers in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, September 11, 2021.Utvpitt0911 1955

I think 247Sports is pretty close to being spot on. Though I'd include Tennessee's matchup against Pittsburgh in the 50/50 games they mentioned. Beating Pittsburgh on the road is more than doable for the Volunteers, but it won't be an easy task. The Panthers are ranked No. 17 in the AP Top 25.

If you include the Pittsburgh game, then Tennessee needs to go 4-1 in a five-game stretch (Pittsburgh, Florida, LSU, Kentucky, and South Carolina) to have a legitimate shot at winning nine regular season games (which gives them a shot at 10 with a bowl win).

That's of course assuming losses to Alabama and Georgia, which I think is fair at this point (though maybe the Vols pull off a stunner and beat Bama or Georgia…that would just be icing on the cake).

The biggest thing Tennessee needs to do this year is to show some progress. The Vols have to win at least eight games in 2022 or the season is going to feel like a failure. If Tennessee gets to eight wins this season, it will essentially set 8-5 as the new floor for UT football moving forward.

And I think all Vols fans would sign up for that after what the program has gone through over the last 15 years.

Featured image via Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports

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