The Volunteer State

 Jarrett Guarantano could break Peyton Manning’s record for most career starts by a Tennessee quarterback if Guarantano returned for a sixth season in 2021, thanks to the NCAA’s ruling last week that the 2020 season won't affect a player’s eligibility.

Should Guarantano consider a sixth season in 2021?

Step inside Saloon 16, Peyton Manning's Knoxville bar that opened this month as part of the Graduate Hotel, and you'll get a feel for the Tennessee Vols icon's personality and gain a closer look at his experience as a college student.

Victories over rivals Alabama, Georgia or Florida have been few and far between for Tennessee football throughout the past decade-plus.

But the SEC set a favorable opportunity in front of the Vols this season by the way it devised Tennessee's schedule.

On this edition of "The Volunteer State," Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams of the News Sentinel examine the Vols' schedule and why its makeup offers UT a better opportunity to upset a top rival.

If Tennessee is to finish above .500 in Jeremy Pruitt's third season, the Vols likely will need to beat at least one ranked opponent. That's something the Vols haven't done since a pair of wins over ranked foes in 2018.

On this edition of "The Volunteer State," Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams of the News Sentinel project Tennessee's record and debate how many wins the Vols need for the season to be deemed a success.

When the SEC on Friday revealed the two additional teams each member would play this season in the expanded 10-game, conference-only format, it became clear that the league created a favorable path to the playoff for frontrunners.

No college conference projects a mightier image than the SEC. So why should the SEC be influenced by how other conferences handle the football season?

Vanderbilt fans have spoken, and many of them don't understand why someone would consider booting their Commodores from the SEC.

Vanderbilt kicker Oren Milstein on Tuesday became the first SEC football player to opt out of the 2020 season because of concerns tied to the COVID-19 pandemic. Will more SEC players will sit out this season?

So long, Vanderbilt. It's time for the SEC to boot the Commodores off to another conference where the school's half-hearted athletic pursuits might be a more appropriate fit.

Lou Brown offered a few critiques of the Lady Vols coaching staff while reflecting on her Tennessee women's basketball career in an essay for The Pick and Roll, a website that covers Australian basketball.

Brown's 2,000-word essay mostly focused on her experience at Tennessee and her struggle to compete at the level she wanted following knee injuries. On this edition of "The Volunteer State," Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams of the News Sentinel discuss Brown's essay and her comments about those instances.