How the Tennessee Volunteers' future opponents fared this weekend

I'm tempted after a really disappointing loss to Mississippi State and being wrong for the second time this season to look hard and long for potential further disappointment lurking in the remainder of the season. The thing is, I don't really see it. Not yet. (Other than, you know, time going by and having nothing special to show for it.) I keep reminding myself that Florida is now #2 in the nation (which feels like bamboo under my fingernails) and Mississippi State was in fact ranked and favored to win as much as we didn't want to believe it. But losing games we'd hoped to win doesn't necessarily mean that we should lose any games we're not expected to win. Bottom line, I'm not feeling as good about the Vols this week as I was last week, but neither am I ready to conclude that they're going to lose games they shouldn't just because (1) Florida is much better than we thought, and (2) everyone but Vols fans were right about the Mississippi State game.

Alabama Crimson Tide

• Week 1: Sheesh, I hate these guys. Embarrassed Michigan, 41-14 in front of a ginormous mirror and a national television audience.
• Week 2: Beat Western Kentucky, 35-0.
• Week 3: Beat a headless Arkansas Razorbacks team, 52-0.
• Week 4: Beat Florida Atlantic, 40-7.
• Week 5: Beat Ole Miss, 33-14. Roll Tide Roll wonders about the offense: "Offensively, the 33 points largely obfuscates the on-field struggles."
• Week 6: Bye.
• Week 7: Beat Missouri, 42-10.

• Joel feels __________ about this game this week: BACK TO REALLY BAD.

@South Carolina Gamecocks

• Week 1: Squeaked (squoke? It is a chicken.) by Vandy, 17-13.
• Week 2: Beat East Carolina, 48-10.
• Week 3: Beat the UAB Blazers, 49-6.
• Week 4: Beat Missouri, 31-10.
• Week 5: Beat Kentucky, 38-17.
• Week 6: Hammered Georgia, 35-7. Garnet and Black Attack embraces the cocky and asks whether South Carolina is the Alabama of the East. My first impulse is to laugh, but it may just be true.
• Week 7: Lost to LSU, 23-21.

• Joel feels __________ about this game this week: NOT ANY BETTER, REALLY. Yeah, they lost, but it was at Death Valley against a good LSU team, and they still looked pretty good except for just a couple of errors.

Troy Trojans

• Week 1: Beat UAB, 39-29.
• Week 2: Lost to the Ragin' Cajuns, 37-24.
• Week 3: Lost to Mississippi State, 30-24.
• Week 4: Beat North Texas, 14-7.
• Week 5: Beat South Alabama, 31-10.
• Week 6: Bye.
• Week 7: Lost to Western Kentucky, 31-26.

• Video
• Joel feels __________ about this game this week: SAME.

Missouri Tigers

• Week 1: Beat SE Louisiana Lions, whoever they are, 62-10.
• Week 2: Lost to Georgia, 41-20.
• Week 3: Beat Arizona State, 24-20.
• Week 4: Lost to South Carolina, 31-10.
• Week 5: Beat UCF, 21-16.
• Week 6: Lost to Vanderbilt, 19-15. That's right. They lost to Vanderbilt and remained unwinned in the SEC. Rock M Nation is getting the stink out into the air.
• Week 7: Lost to Alabama, 42-10.
• Joel feels __________ about this game this week: SAME.

@Vanderbilt Commodores

• Week1: Lost in the aforementioned squeaker to South Carolina, 17-13.
• Week 2: Lost to Northwestern, 23-13.
• Week 3: Beat the Presbyterian Blue Hose, 58-0.
• Week 4: Lost to Georgia, 48-3.
• Week 5: Bye.
• Week 6: Beat Missouri, 19-15. Oh, right. Missouri's QB was knocked out of the game in the first quarter.
• Week 7: Lost to Florida, 31-17.

• Joel feels __________ about this game this week: A LITTLE WORSE.

Kentucky Wildcats

• Week 1: Lost to Louisville, 32-14.
• Week 2: Beat Kent State, 47-14.
• Week 3: Lost to Western Kentucky in OT, 32-31.
• Week 4: Lost to Florida, 38-0.
• Week 5: Lost to South Carolina, 38-17.
• Week 6: Lost to Mississippi State, 27-14. A Sea of Blue wants Jane to stop this crazy thing.
• Week 7: Lost to Arkansas, 49-7.

• This video made me smile. A 49-7 win for the Razorbacks, and the "highlights" video is a sack in the first two minutes of the game.
• Joel feels __________ about this game this week: SAME.

Conclusion after Week Seven

Despite the Vols' disappointing loss to the Bulldogs this past weekend, I'm feeling pretty much the same about South Carolina, Troy, Missouri, and Kentucky. I feel worse about Vanderbilt, but not enough to change my prediction, and I feel worse about Alabama. That puncher's chance against the Tide that Will and I both independently mentioned last week is still theoretically there, but it's even less likely now. It would have to be a miracle. Fortunately, I believe in miracles, so I'll be watching.

So no change to the remainder of the season predictions despite having been wrong twice already.