The Tennessee vs. Georgia game, a 41-17 win for the No. 1-ranked Bulldogs on Saturday, went just about as expected, didn’t it?

The Volunteers offense got off to another terrific start, leading 10-7 after the first quarter. But Georgia’s historically good defense made the necessary adjustments, then the Bulldogs offense scored at least 30 points for the 9th straight week.

This contest gave us more proof that Georgia is a legitimate national title contender. The Dawgs haven’t won that coveted championship since 1980, but this very well could finally be their year. If UGA does not get over the hump in January, I’m not sure the program ever will.

As for the Vols? This game proved that even with as many strides as the Tennessee football program has made over the last 10 months (and there have been a bunch), there’s still a lot of work to be done.

This defeat looked very similar to Tennessee’s losses against its other biggest rivals. In the Florida and Alabama games, the Vols defense was completely worn out by the fourth quarter.

Tennessee’s roster limitations tend to take their toll at the worst possible times. The Vols fought through those issues the previous week against Kentucky, but that’s not possible against the elite teams in the conference.

(Yes, I know that Florida is not elite right now. They just gave up 52 points to Sanford! But back in the olden days of … September 2021, they were still an SEC East contender.)

The Vols offense didn’t have its best day against that Georgia defense, but they still put up 387 yards and 17 points. Those are higher totals than any of the Bulldogs previous 9 opponents in 2021. Coach Josh Heupel’s system will work in the SEC. And with future reinforcements, that system should allow the Vols to make more noise in the conference in the years to come.

Barring upsets of epic proportions by South Alabama and/or Vanderbilt, the Vols will finish the regular season 7-5. With a bowl win UT would end up 8-5. At a place like Tennessee, with their facilities and tradition and fan base, 7 or 8 wins should be the floor.

The good news for Tennessee is that we should expect to see Hendon Hooker back in a Tennessee uniform in 2022. Hooker didn’t have his best game against Georgia (of course, what QB does?). He threw only his 3rd interception of the season, but completed 65% of his passes for 244 yards and a touchdown.

Getting back to those reinforcements? Heupel has 14 verbal commitments in the Class of 2022. Only 2 of those are 4-stars. 247Sports ranks the Vols’ class 31st nationally and 11th in the SEC.

Heupel’s system doesn’t need a plethora of 5-stars to succeed, but the next 4 weeks are crucial for the future of Tennessee football. Heupel and his staff must improve on those recruiting numbers to move up in the SEC. Getting busy in the transfer portal would help as well.

Heading into 2021, I thought that Tennessee’s best-case scenario would be to have a 2020 Ole Miss type season. The Rebels went 5-5 with an Outback Bowl win over Indiana. Even though the Rebels couldn’t stop anyone, Lane Kiffin’s offense was fun and their highlights were pushed all across traditional and social media.

In Kiffin’s second season, the Rebels have turned into a top 10 level program with a Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback.

It’s not beyond the realm of possibility that the Vols follow this same pattern in 2022.

For now, Tennessee is what Tennessee is. A good team that is not ready for prime time. But apathy is not a problem. The fans are invested. The program is getting some much needed attention, and not just for a thrown mustard container.

Tennessee isn’t back. Not yet. But the Vols aren’t that far away anymore.