Tennessee Football: Way-too-early 2020 game-by-game predictions

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KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE – NOVEMBER 30: Riley Neal #6 of the Vanderbilt Commodores passes the ball against the Tennessee Volunteers during the first quarter of the game at Neyland Stadium on November 30, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images) /

Troy went into Baton Rouge a couple of seasons ago and pulled off the massive upset of Ed Orgeron’s LSU Tigers, but that won’t happen here.

No, Tennessee isn’t necessarily in a better place than LSU was, but that Troy team is mostly gone and the Volunteers are trending in the right direction here.

Expect a big game from Eric Gray who will break out for 150-plus rushing yards here and help lead the Volunteers to a comfortable victory, locking up a winning season.

Final Score: Troy 16, Tennessee 48 (7-4)

Locking up a winning season is big, but it’d be even more important for Jeremy Pruitt to secure a second straight winning record in SEC play. After going 5-3 in league play last season, he needs a win over Vanderbilt on the road to have the same fate in 2020.

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Vanderbilt won’t be a world-beater, by any means, but winning on the road over Derek Mason’s team won’t be a gimme. The Volunteers will come out firing, though, putting the in-state foe in its place with a big win as Tennessee records its second straight winning SEC campaign.

Final Score: Tennessee 35, Vanderbilt 20 (8-4, 5-3)

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