Whether 7-6 seasons are celebrated or criticized largely depends on the situation in which the program found itself entering the season.

Tennessee found itself in a mess last January. The Vols fired Jeremy Pruitt for cause amid an NCAA investigation into allegations of recruiting malfeasance. Players fled for the transfer portal.

New coach Josh Heupel's task was to staunch the bleeding, and he achieved that by leading Tennessee to a 7-6 record in his first season. Although it ended with a disappointing 48-45 loss to Purdue in the Music City Bowl, most fans will be content with Heupel's debut.

Now, the bar raises.

On this edition of "The Volunteer State," Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the News Sentinel's John Adams and Adam Sparks evaluate Tennessee's chances of ascending next season.

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

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Could Tennessee catapult from the Music City Bowl in 2021 to the Sugar Bowl next season?

It's within the realm of reasonableness after quarterback Hendon Hooker announced Sunday that he'll return to UT for a sixth season of college eligibility in 2022.

If you don't believe us, just look at Ole Miss' success this season. The Rebels laid groundwork in 2020 by going 5-5 in Lane Kiffin's first season. Quarterback Matt Corral's return offered promise for better times ahead in 2021.

On this edition of "The Volunteer State," Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the News Sentinel's John Adams and Adam Sparks debate whether Hooker's return positions Tennessee to emulate the Rebels' second-year surge.

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

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Tennessee (7-5) will play Purdue (8-4) in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30 (3 p.m. ET, ESPN).

For Vols fans hoping to make a trip south for some winter sunshine and beach time, sorry. For those looking to travel to a nearby destination to watch UT play in the postseason, you're in luck.

So, what's better – a Florida bowl, which historically carries more prestige, or an opportunity for first-year coach Josh Heupel to showcase his program at the instate NFL stadium?

On this edition of "The Volunteer State," Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the News Sentinel's John Adams discuss Tennessee's bowl selection and whether it was a fair reward for Tennessee's season.

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

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A Big Ten or an ACC opponent is likely in Tennessee's future.

The Vols (7-5) will learn their bowl destination on Sunday. Logical candidates include the Music City Bowl, Gator Bowl, Outback Bowl and Duke's Mayo Bowl.

The Music City or Outback would pit Tennessee against a Big Ten opponent, while the Gator or Duke's Mayo would slate the Vols against a team from the ACC.

On this edition of "The Volunteer State," Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the News Sentinel's Adam Sparks discuss possible bowl destinations and opponents for Tennessee.

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

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Clemson coach Dabo Swinney on Monday suggested that South Carolina's first-year coach Shane Beamer should be considered for SEC coach of the year.

If an ACC coach can nominate someone for an SEC award, then we can, too.

And there's no shortage of options this year, including Josh Heupel, Tennessee's first-year coach who inherited a depleted roster and an ongoing NCAA investigation left by the previous coaching staff.

On this edition of "The Volunteer State," Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the News Sentinel's John Adams and Adam Sparks consider Heupel's candidacy for SEC coach of the year, and they offer their picks as it stands today.

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

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Bowl projections abound, and we're not going to miss out on the projection fun.

Tennessee (5-5, 3-4 SEC) is positioned to play in a bowl for just the second time in a five-year stretch. The Vols will host South Alabama (5-5) on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU) before concluding the regular season against Vanderbilt (2-8). They need to win at least one of those two games to secure bowl eligibility.

On this edition of "The Volunteer State," Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the News Sentinel's John Adams and Adam Sparks forecast Tennessee's bowl prospects. 

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

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Tennessee fans celebrated two triumphs Saturday: the Vols' 45-42 victory over No. 17 Kentucky, and South Carolina's 40-17 thrashing of Florida.

Florida (4-5, 2-5 SEC) has jumped the rails since beating Tennessee 38-14 on Sept. 25, while the Vols (5-4, 3-3) are on the upswing.

Tennessee will face its greatest test to date against No. 1 Georgia (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS) on Saturday at Neyland Stadium.

On this edition of "The Volunteer State," Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the News Sentinel's John Adams and Adam Sparks preview UT's clash against a defense that Vols coach Josh Heupel described as "statistically maybe as good as anybody that’s ever played the game."

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

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The pinnacle of the Jeremy Pruitt era came in 2019.

Tennessee started 0-2 before rebounding and qualifying for the Gator Bowl, where the Vols rallied to defeat Indiana 23-22 to cap an 8-5 season.

We later learned Tennessee's 2019 season was fool's gold. Pruitt flopped in 2020, and Tennessee fired him after the season amid an NCAA investigation into alleged recruiting violations by Pruitt's staff.

On this edition of "The Volunteer State," Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the News Sentinel's John Adams and Adam Sparks preview UT's game against the Wildcats and how it has shifted toward a game Tennessee should expect to win after UK got thumped by Mississippi State on Saturday.

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

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Can a 28-point loss be a moral victory? 

Depends how you look at it.

Tennessee football's 52-24 loss to No. 4 Alabama on Saturday was closer for most of the game than the final score indicated. The Vols led 14-7 after one quarter and trailed just 31-24 early in the fourth quarter.

On the flip side, Tennessee suffered its 15th straight losses to Alabama, and none of the last six results in this series have been closer to 22 points.

On this edition of "The Volunteer State," Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the News Sentinel's John Adams and Adam Sparks evaluate Tennessee's performance and debate whether it qualifies as a moral victory.

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

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Call it bottle-gate, trash night at Neyland or the rain-on-Lane game.

By any name, the incident near the end of Tennessee's football game against Ole Miss stained the reputation of the Vols fan base.

Is that fair?

After all, whether it was a few hundred or a couple thousand fans who tossed trash on the field, that's a small percentage of the sellout crowd that packed Neyland Stadium.

But it happened nonetheless. 

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

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