Tennessee fans immediately turn on Josh Heupel again after early Vanderbilt deficit

Win and you are in. That is what is at stake for the Tennessee Volunteers. After last weekend's chaos, the Vols went from completely out of the College Football Playoff picture, to firmly in the midst of it entering rivalry week. All 9-2 Tennessee needs to do is beat little brother Vanderbilt in Nashville to get in as an at-large team. A loss would have them certainly out as a 9-3 team, so what is it going to be?

Vanderbilt has given the Vols all they can handle and then some in the first half. While Vanderbilt is no slouch, the Commodores are only a six-win team. They may be quarterbacked by the living legend that is Diego Pavia, but Tennessee has a massive talent advantage in this game. Still, nothing is decided until the final whistle has blown. It is one where Josh Heupel has to be on the right side of.

Tennessee played much better in the second quarter, but Vanderbilt was leading 17-7 heading into the second frame. A 100-yard kickoff return and other early shenanigans helped give Vanderbilt an early lead that the 'Dores later relinquished. All I know is the longer Tennessee lets Vanderbilt hang around, the more and more likely the Commodores will be capable of pulling off the major SEC upset.

In the meantime, watch Vol Nation fall to pieces over the bad job it thinks Heupel is doing this week.

As long as the Vols win this game, Heupel will be able to keep some major pressure off his plate.

For more Rivalry Week content, check out FanSided’s Ultimate Guide to College Football Rivalries, an in-depth and interactive look at the deep traditions, rich history, iconic venues and memorable moments of college football’s biggest rivalries.

Tennessee Volunteers fans are starting to turn on Josh Heupel yet again

Moving on from Heupel would be disastrous for Tennessee. He may need to upgrade his Air Raid offshoot offense to win a national title, but it has certainly helped the Volunteers close the gap on the rest of the SEC and major College Football Playoff contenders. My biggest concern with the Vols in this game is Nico Iamaleava has yet to show us why he supposedly got all that NIL money previously.

You look at his counterpart in Diego Pavia, and you wonder what could be if they had a quarterback who was as seasoned, as polished, as competitive as Pavia is. Again, Tennessee should be one of the best teams in the country, but they are running out of opportunities to prove to everyone that they belong in the playoff. Simply put, they must beat Vanderbilt to merit inclusion into the 12-team field.

If Tennessee can keep its head, the Vols should win this game, but that may hinge entirely on Heupel.