Click here for linkThis team has it even worse.
The Vols lost to No. 1 LSU 38-7 on Saturday. And no one should expect them to do anything more against No. 2 Alabama in Tuscaloosa this Saturday.
But UT can do something about what comes next.
That's right. I'm looking past the storied UT-Alabama rivalry to what lies ahead.
If you want to play fantasy football and invest emotion in what was once the biggest game of the year, feel free. But the big picture is more pertinent than what used to be the big game.
This isn't the kind of game UT fans should anticipate. Instead, they should look forward to getting past it.
In a best-case UT scenario, it plays as hard as it can, improves on its weaknesses as it did against LSU, avoids injuries and moves on with heightened confidence and without an Alabama hangover.
If the Vols survive Alabama with their psyche intact, that doesn't mean they can beat South Carolina the following week or Arkansas two weeks later in Fayetteville. But they could be more competitive than they were Saturday and are expected to be against Alabama.
UT fans don't want to think about the alternative
As distasteful as Tennessee fans find losing to Alabama, such a loss isn't the worst thing that could happen to the Vols. Being adversely affected by the loss would be worse.
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