With less than 24 hours remaining before the Tennessee Volunteer kickoff against the Florida Gators in Gainesville, tensions are soaring, stakes are at an all time high, and the future of Tennessee Football is at stake. College Football enthusiasts, both reports and fans, have been tossing around the possibility of a potential upset for UT all week. One thing that is clear is the Volunteers will have a tough task in front of them tomorrow but if the Vols are able to put together a good enough performance to upset the Florida Gators and drain the Swamp what will that win mean for the future of Tennessee Football and the Jeremy Pruitt era?

If Tennessee is able to upset the Florida Gators tomorrow it will go down as the win that turned the corner and brought Tennessee Football back. Jeremy Pruitt will receive nothing but praise for the 2 weeks following the game, through the bye week and leading up to the Georgia game. Tennessee’s losses to Georgia State and Brigham Young will never be forgotten, however, the upset in Gainesville would certainly help Vol fans forgive the Coaching Staff and team. Essentially, for most fans, all would be forgiven yet it would never be forgotten because it was a historical low point. The Appalachian State Mountaineers’ upset victory over the Michigan Wolverines puts this on full display. The 5th ranked Wolverines went down in Ann Arbor in a stunning turn of events but managed to recover from the loss and finish the season 9-4 (6-2 in the Big Ten). It wasn’t the elite season that was expected, but it was still a really solid year. Despite this every time an underdog competes with a heavy favorite this game will be thrown around as an analogy, these types of games will live on forever, therefore you can’t expect people to just forget about Georgia State’s remarkable upset.

In addition, if the Volunteers are able to upset Florida you shouldn’t expect Tennessee to instantly improve into world beaters. It will still take time for Tennessee to recruit the kind of athletes necessary to win the SEC East, and compete for the SEC. This win would serve as the turning point, but Tennessee would not make a sudden improvement to compete for their division. On the more positive side of things, an upset over Florida would greatly improve the Vols chances with top targets such as Darnell Washington, Arik Gilbert, and Sa’vell Smalls on the recruiting trail. Much like the Auburn victory last season, Tennessee needs these types of wins to build credibility on the recruiting trail and build an elite class.

The importance of a win over Florida can not be underestimated, it could end up setting the tone for the Jeremy Pruitt era and ultimately turning the corner for Tennessee. You can watch the Volunteers try and make this happen at 12:00ET on ESPN, or come to our watch party at Tennessee Taphouse on North Peters Rd.