SO SHOCKED: The Tennessee Volunteers are in serious trouble in facing today with….

Tennessee has hit a reset point. They were outclassed by the Georgia Bulldogs in all three phases on Saturday afternoon in front of a national audience, a sold-out Neyland Stadium, and dozens of blue-chip prospects. It was a humbling moment for a program that intended to reach high heights this year.

Now, Georgia is the two-time defending national champions who just became the first program to have three consecutive undefeated regular season runs through the SEC. They had already clinched the SEC East Title before this contest but still found ways to improve. Quarterback Carson Beck was phenomenal all afternoon, staying on time and putting great zip on his balls.

Is in a bit of tough spot ahead of UT’s game against Vanderbilt, the final regular season game of the year. With the Vols likely heading toward an 8-4 finish — they should cruise against a Vanderbilt team that hasn’t won a game since September 2 against Alabama A&M — it would make sense for Tennessee to get a head start on the 2024 season. 

And that means playing true freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava against Vanderbilt, and likely in the bowl game (assuming the NCAA grants a waiver, as they did last season, allowing players who have played in four games to play in a bowl game while retaining their redshirt.

This has nothing to do with Joe Milton, by the way. At this point, Milton isn’t playing for a special season. He’s nowhere near the Heisman conversation and he isn’t on the verge of setting any records at Tennessee.

He’s been a great teammate, but he’s been an average quarterback at best. The future of the program is where Heupel’s focus should be. And the best thing for the future is getting Iamaleava some meaningful reps, while preparing as a starter, before he takes over the offense in 2024. A start against Vanderbilt and potentially in the bowl game would be invaluable to Iamaleava’s development.

And if Heupel starts Milton against Vandy, what’s the right call on when to take him out and put Nico in? Vanderbilt is a bad football team this season. Milton will likely play well against the Commodores. Does Heupel wait until halftime to take him out and let Nico play? If so, then those aren’t really the starter-like reps that Nico needs.

At the same time, it would be tough to play Milton for just a series or two and then take him out.

And then there’s the bowl game. I don’t see Milton sitting out the bowl game since he’s unlikely to be selected in the 2024 NFL Draft after his play this season. Which makes the bowl game another tough situation for Heupel to navigate. Sitting Milton when he’s not injured after he’s likely led the Vols to an 8-4 regular season could create an awkward situation.

I don’t know the right answer. I think the human element is important in all of this. But passing on a chance to give Nico incredibly valuable starting reps with many of the skill position players he’ll be playing with next season would be a huge missed opportunity for the program.

Figuring out the answer to this conundrum is why Heupel’s paid $9 million a year. It’ll certainly be interesting to see which path he takes this week.

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Famous football coach Bear Byrant coined the phrase “defenses with championships.” No sentiment more clearly describes the No. 11 2023 Tennessee Volunteers football team, whose defense was the team’s undoing last season despite the Vols tenth-ranked offense.

The Tennessee Vols finished the 2022 season 11-2, but the team relied on its high-scoring offense when their defense couldn’t hold the line.

season later, the Vols offense currently ranks 9th in the coaches poll. Defense, however, shines — ranking third in success rate, fourth in sack rate and fourteenth in havoc rate. If the Florida Gators (1-1) want to upset the Vols, Gators QB Graham Mertz is going to need to evade the mighty Vols defense. Judging by the Vols 2-0 season start, that upset won’t be easy.

The Tennessee Volunteers face the Florida Gators on Saturday, Sept. 16 at 7:00 p.m. ET (4:00 p.m. PT). You can watch it on ESPN.

Watching the Volunteers vs. Gators has never been easier, whether you’re watching on a TV or mobile device thanks to Sling TV, an easy and inexpensive way to stream this game (and more college football matchups).

ESPN is included in many cable TV packages. Don’t have a cable TV package? One of the most cost-effective ways to get the channel is through a subscription to Sling TV. The streamer offers access to NFL Network, local NBC, Fox and ABC affiliates (where available) and ESPN with its Orange + Blue Tier plan. Also worth noting: Sling TV comes with 50 hours of cloud-based DVR recording space included, perfect for recording all the season’s top NFL and college football matchups.

That plan normally costs $60 per month, but the streamer is currently offering a 50% off promotion for your first month, so you’ll pay just $30. You can learn more by tapping the button below.

Sling TV has a new offering for the 2023 NCAA college football season and the 2023 NFL Season called Sports Extra. The new package is designed for NFL and college football fans, with access to NFL Redzone, ESPN, NFL, SEC, ACC, PAC 12, Big10 and Longhorn Networks.

There’s a great preseason deal on Sling TV Sports Extra going on right now: You can get five months of Sling TV Orange + Blue + Sports Extra for $274. That works out to just $55 per month, an even better price than subscribing to just the $60 per month Orange + Blue plan. It’s the most cost effective way to stream most NFL games this year.

You can also catch the Saturday’s big game on FuboTV. FuboTV is a sports-centric streaming service that offers access to almost every NFL game of the season. Packages include CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN, NFL Network, NFL RedZone and more, so you’ll be able to watch more than just today’s games.

To watch college football without cable, start a seven-day free trial of Fubo. You can begin watching immediately on your TV, phone, tablet or computer.

In addition to college football, FuboTV offers the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS and international soccer games. FuboTV starts at $75 per month for the Pro tier (includes NFL Network); the $100 per month Ultimate tier includes NFL RedZone.