Beating Vanderbilt is a Bigger Deal Than Tennessee Will Admit

From 1976 to 2011, Vanderbilt only managed to beat Tennessee twice. Since 2012, the Commodores have taken five out of seven, including the last three games in a row. For a Top-10 revenue program like Tennessee, losing to Vanderbilt year in and year out is emblematic of how rotten the culture has been.

As much as the Volunteers want to consider Derek Mason and the 3-8 Commodores a pushover and an easy win, this victory would be massive for the state of the program considering what the start of the year looked like.

Tennessee started the year at 1-4, with a loss at home to Georgia State mixed in there. Jeremy Pruitt grabbed this team by the scruff of the neck, managed to get some more efficient play from the quarterback position, and got the Vols back to a bowl game after missing one in his first season.

A win wouldn't mean that Tennessee is "back", but it would show that they are certainly on the right track after looking totally pathetic just weeks ago.

Pruitt and the Volunteers have exceeded everyone's wildest expectations after their dreadful start, and beating their in-state rival would be the cherry on top of a remarkable second season for the former Alabama DC.