Tennessee can still make the College Football Playoff after losing to Georgia. That's the good news for the Vols. The bad news: The Vols will need at least a little help elsewhere.

Tennessee (8-1) is ranked No. 5 this week and has a good chance to win its remaining games, starting Saturday against Missouri. But the Vols are unlikely to reach the SEC Championship, which will hamstring their resume a bit.

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer, Adam Sparks and John Adams review what went wrong for Tennessee against Georgia and break down the best avenues to the playoff for Tennessee.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) Adam (@AdamSparks) Mike (@ByMikeWilson) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on Vols sports news by following @GoVolsXtra. 

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The 2019 LSU Tigers won the national championship behind an offense that no opponent could stop. Quarterback Joe Burrow won the Heisman Trophy. Offensive whiz Joe Brady was hailed a wunderkind for his scheme.

The Tigers went undefeated. They averaged more than 48 points per game.

Tennessee's 2022 squad is saying: We see you, and we'll raise you.

Dazzling transfer quarterback Hendon Hooker has teamed with offensive mastermind Josh Heupel to lead the Vols in a stunning sprint up the polls and to an 8-0 record entering Saturday's clash with Georgia.

On this episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer, John Adams and Adam Sparks debate how Tennessee does (and doesn't) remind them of 2019 LSU.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) Adam (@AdamSparks) Mike (@ByMikeWilson) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on Vols sports news by following @GoVolsXtra.

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The Kentucky-Tennessee rivalry was a trophy game for more than seven decades, with a beer barrel painted orange, blue and white awarded to the winning side, usually UT.

That tradition remained in effect until before the 1998 season, when the beer barrel was shelved after two college students, including a UK player, were killed in an alcohol-related accident. A Kentucky player with a reported blood-alcohol content of 0.15 was driving. The beer barrel hasn't returned to this game since then, although it apparently remains in Tennessee's possession. Brian Niedermeyer, then a Vols assistant, posted a photo of the beer barrel in his office in 2019.

On this edition of "The Volunteer State," Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the News Sentinel's Adam Sparks and John Adams discuss whether the Beer Barrel should make a return.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) Adam (@AdamSparks) Mike (@ByMikeWilson) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on Vols sports news by following @GoVolsXtra.

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This Tennessee team, fresh off of beating Alabama for the first time since 2006, profiles as the Vols' best team since '98. Will this one end in a national championship?

It's starting to feel possible. Work left to do, of course, with two regular-season games remaining against ranked opponents. That includes a clash with No. 1 Georgia on Nov. 5 in Athens.

On this edition of "The Volunteer State," Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the News Sentinel's Adam Sparks and John Adams reflect on UT's toppling of the Tide, which kicked off a jubilant scene inside and outside Neyland Stadium, and discuss what it means for the program.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) Adam (@AdamSparks) Mike (@ByMikeWilson) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on Vols sports news by following @GoVolsXtra.

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Tennessee on the rise. Alabama has looked vulnerable.

But we know how the Third Saturday in October goes. Nick Saban spanks the Vols, no questions asked.

Not so fast, though. Tennessee has a new sheriff in town, and Josh Heupel's offense is giving everyone fits.

Further, Bryce Young's injury situation levels the scales and should help Tennessee mask a weakness: its pass coverage. Alabama's vaunted pass rush kept Texas A&M quarterback Haynes King in a state of continual duress, but Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker is skilled at unloading the ball quickly.

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer, Adam Sparks and John Adams discuss the signs that point to Tennessee ending its streak of futility against Alabama.

Vols fans wouldn't be crazy to prepare a cigar.

Sometimes, the best way for a football team to improve its stock is by not taking the field.

That proved true for Tennessee last weekend. As other SEC teams showed weakness, the Vols (4-0, 1-0 SEC) enjoyed an off weekend, then climbed one spot to No. 8 in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA coaches poll.

On this edition of "The Volunteer State," Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the News Sentinel's Adam Sparks and John Adams discuss Tennessee's road game against LSU on Saturday (noon ET, ESPN), the Vols' brightening outlook and what a pair of injuries mean for the team.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) Adam (@AdamSparks) Mike (@ByMikeWilson) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on Vols sports news by following @GoVolsXtra.

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Tennessee is 4-0 for the first time since the 2016 season, and the Vols have a realistic path to a New Year's Six bowl after a 38-33 win against Florida.

From a macro level, it all looks good – really good – especially considering where this program was just a year and a half ago. On a micro level, there are some nits to pick.

On this episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer, Adam Sparks and John Adams reassess Tennessee's victory against Florida and what it means for the path ahead.

Hendon Hooker played like a quarterback worth of Heisman Trophy conversation. He masks deficiencies elsewhere.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) Adam (@AdamSparks) Mike (@ByMikeWilson) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on Vols sports news by following @GoVolsXtra.

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The Gators opened the season in impressive fashion, beating Utah, but they headed in reverse after that.

W've heard from UT fans feeling mighty confident about this game. Yet, others are feeling nauseous, unable to forget the series history. Florida has won 16 of the past 17 in this series. Oh, and ESPN's "College GameDay" is in town and the Vols will checker Neyland. Neither of those happenings has been a good omen for UT, historically.

On this edition of "The Volunteer State," Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the News Sentinel's Adam Sparks and John Adams explain why no amount of history or jinxes should get in Tennessee's way.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) Adam (@AdamSparks) Mike (@ByMikeWilson) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on Vols sports news by following @GoVolsXtra.

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Tennessee football is Sugar Bowl bound -- at least according to one early projection.

OK, take a deep breath. It's Week 3, after all. But in the latest bowl projections from Jerry Palm of CBS Sports, he's pegged the No. 16 Vols (2-0) into the Sugar Bowl against Baylor.

That still feels like a longshot, but it's conceivable after a hard-fought road victory against Pittsburgh.

On this episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer, Adam Sparks and John Adams explain what the win against Pitt means, both in the present and for Tennessee's bowl future.

Also, is playing lowly Akron on Saturday an opportunity for UT to address its stalled run game?

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) Adam (@AdamSparks) Mike (@ByMikeWilson) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on Vols sports news by following @GoVolsXtra.

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Ball State offered little resistance in the Vols' opener ahead of an important game Saturday against Pittsburgh, but that doesn't mean we didn't learn anything.

We learned the Vols' offense remains the strength while the defense is a work in program. We also got a chance to rework our outlooks on the rest of the SEC.

Florida impressed. LSU and South Carolina didn't. Kentucky ranked somewhere in between.

On this episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer, Adam Sparks and John Adams rewire their Tennessee expectations based on what they saw throughout the SEC in Week 1.

Their verdict: They believe early developments bode well for Tennessee.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) Adam (@AdamSparks) Mike (@ByMikeWilson) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on Vols sports news by following @GoVolsXtra.

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