Author Archives: Joel Hollingsworth

GRT Guessing Game Results Weeks 7 & 8: Displaced_Vol_Fan takes the lead

Here’s the play-by-play for the last two weeks.

Week 7 – Auburn

Round 1

Q: Who scores first for the Vols? (10 – 30 points available)

A: A field goal kicker (10 points)

Only four players get this right.

Mushrooms: Gavin Driskill and HT

Bananas: jfarrar90 and Mariettavol

Blue shells and bolts: 

  • We get both a new blue shell and a thunderbolt, the bolt thrown by Isaac Bishop
  • Blue Shell #2 reaches the leader, Randy Holtzclaw, and blows him up. He loses 10 points and yet was so far ahead that he still maintains the lead.
  • Blue Shell #3 Counter: 5

Top 10 after Round 1:

  1. Randy Holtzclaw
  2. Displaced_Vol_Fan
  3. Jayyyy
  4. Will Shelton
  5. daetilus
  6. Joel Hollingsworth
  7. Mitchell K
  8. cscott95
  9. jfarrar90
  10. Sam Hensley

Round 2

Q: Tennessee is allowing 7.6 tackles for loss per game. Auburn is getting 8.2. How many TFLs does Auburn get this weekend against the Vols? (10 – 20 points available)

A: 8-10 (10 points) (they got 10)

Six players get this right.

Mushrooms: jrstep and Isaac Bishop

Bananas: Isaac Bishop and Jayyyy

Blue shells and bolts: 

  • New rule on bolts (to make it easier to administer): The player who throws it gets 15 points. These go to Isaac Bishop this round. In the future (including this round), they’ll be awarded at the time the bolt is thrown rather than one round later.
  • No new blue shells
  • Blue Shell #3 Counter: 4
  • A bolt is thrown, again by Isaac Bishop, who gets another 15 points.

How is this happening? If the random number generator chooses someone who has played in the past but didn’t play that week, I move it to the closest player. Most of those folks are at the bottom of the standings, and Bishop has been in last place among the folks persevering through the season, so he’s been the recipient of a bunch of these. Congrats?

Top 10 after Round 2:

  1. Displaced_Vol_Fan
  2. Jayyyy
  3. Randy Holtzclaw
  4. Mitchell K
  5. Will Shelton
  6. daetilus
  7. Joel Hollingsworth
  8. Isaac Bishop
  9. cscott95
  10. jfarrar90

Round 3

Q: Which team has the most punts? (10 – 20 points available)

A: Tennessee (10 points) (The Vols had 4 to Auburn’s 3.)

Ten players get this right.

Mushrooms: jrstep and Gavin Driskill

Bananas: Sam Hensley and Raven17

Blue shells and bolts: 

  • Blue Shell #3 Counter: 3
  • New Blue Shell #4 Counter: 5
  • New bolt, thrown by Raven17, who gets 12 points (15 for the bolt, minus 3 for the mushroom)

Final Standings After Week 7:

Rank Player Points
1 Displaced_Vol_Fan 67
2 Randy Holtzclaw 59
3 Mitchell K 57
4 Jayyyy 53.5
5 daetilus 52
6 Will Shelton 46.5
7 jfarrar90 44
8 Joel Hollingsworth 38.5
9 Isaac Bishop 38.5
10 Sam Hensley 38
11 cscott95 35
12 jrstep 35
13 Raven17 32.5
14 Evan 29
15 JWheel101 28.5
16 MitchellK 27
17 LTVol99 26.5
18 Harley 26.5
19 Gavin Driskill 26
20 Mariettavol 24
21 HT 23
22 Corndawg 19
23 Brunovol 15
24 Rocky Top 13
25 RockyTop5 13
26 chris weatherly 12
27 Dave S 12
28 Jdsimp 12
29 Drew 10
30 BallerVawl 8.5
31 Dave Burton 8
32 Phil 7
33 TexasVolFan 6.5
34 Jim Cornwell 5.5
35 Bulldog85 4
36 Rockytopinky 4
37 RockyTopPride 3.5
38 Mark Dotson 3
39 LeniVol 1.5
40 Jordon74 0
41 Mitchell Killian 0
42 PaVol 0
43 Sam 0
44 Simpson_vols 0
45 Kent -1.5
46 CrazyVol -3
47 Jason -3

 

Week 8 – Alabama

Note: Mushrooms are now worth 5 points and bananas are now worth -5.

Round 1

Q: How many points does Alabama score? (10 – 20 points available)

A: Over 50 (20 points) (They scored 58)

Only three players get this right.

Mushrooms: Joel Hollingsworth and Mariettavol

Bananas: Harley and rdbulet96

Blue shells and bolts: 

  • Blue Shell #3 Counter: 2
  • New Blue Shell #4 Counter: 4
  • Yet another new blue shell: Blue Shell #5 Counter: 5
  • No bolts this round

Top 10 after Round 1:

  1. Displaced_Vol_Fan
  2. Randy Holtzclaw
  3. Mitchell K
  4. Jayyyy
  5. Raven17
  6. daetilus
  7. JWheel101
  8. Will Shelton
  9. jfarrar90
  10. Joel Hollingsworth

Round 2

Q: How many of the following things happen? (10 – 50 points available)

  • Alabama doesn’t score a touchdown on its opening drive
  • Tua throws an interception
  • Tua throws a pass in the fourth quarter
  • Alabama scores 38 points or less

A: None of them (10 points). Bleck.

Nobody got this right.

Mushrooms: Mariettavol and LTVol99

Bananas: JWheel101 and brandongalford

Blue shells and bolts: 

  • Blue Shell #3 Counter: 1
  • New Blue Shell #4 Counter: 3
  • Blue Shell #5 Counter: 4
  • Aaaand it’s raining blue shells. Blue Shell #6 Counter: 5
  • No bolts

Top 10 after Round 2:

  1. Displaced_Vol_Fan
  2. Randy Holtzclaw
  3. Mitchell K
  4. Jayyyy
  5. Raven17
  6. daetilus
  7. Will Shelton
  8. jfarrar90
  9. JWheel101
  10. Joel Hollingsworth

Round 3

Q: Who throws the first interception? (10 – 20 points available)

A: Somebody else (20 points) (It was Jalen Hurts.)

Only Raven17 got this right, and it put her in first place.

Mushrooms: Evan and brandon galford

Bananas: LTVol99 and Evan

Blue shells and bolts: 

  • Raven17 takes the lead just in time for Blue Shell #3 to blow her up. She loses 10 points.
  • New Blue Shell #4 Counter: 2
  • Blue Shell #5 Counter: 3
  • Aaaand it’s raining blue shells. Blue Shell #6 Counter: 4
  • No new blue shells
  • No bolts

Final Standings After Week 8:

Rank Player Points
1 Displaced_Vol_Fan 67
2 Raven17 62.5
3 Randy Holtzclaw 59
4 Mitchell K 57
5 Jayyyy 53.5
6 daetilus 52
7 Will Shelton 46.5
8 jfarrar90 44
9 JWheel101 43.5
10 Joel Hollingsworth 43.5
11 Harley 41.5
12 Isaac Bishop 38.5
13 Sam Hensley 38
14 cscott95 35
15 Jrstep 35
16 Mariettavol 34
17 Evan 29
18 MitchellK 27
19 LTVol99 26.5
20 Gavin Driskill 26
21 HT 23
22 Corndawg 19
23 Brunovol 15
24 Rocky Top 13
25 RockyTop5 13
26 chris weatherly 12
27 Dave S 12
28 Jdsimp 12
29 Drew 10
30 BallerVawl 8.5
31 Dave Burton 8
32 Phil 7
33 TexasVolFan 6.5
34 Jim Cornwell 5.5
35 Bulldog85 4
36 Rockytopinky 4
37 RockyTopPride 3.5
38 Mark Dotson 3
39 LeniVol 1.5
40 Jordon74 0
41 Mitchell Killian 0
42 PaVol 0
43 Sam 0
44 Simpson_vols 0
45 brandon galford 0
46 Kent -1.5
47 CrazyVol -3
48 Jason -3
49 rdbulet96 -5

Week 7 and 8 winners of the 2018 Gameday on Rocky Top Pick ‘Em Contest

A little bit a catchup this week — Congratulations to rsbrooks25 and Jahiegel, who won Weeks 7 & 8 of our Gameday on Rocky Top Pick ‘Em contest. They get a Gameday on Rocky Top t-shirt from our custom tee store, Web Community Tees.

Rsbrooks25 and Jahiegel, watch for a message from me (it will come through the Fun Office Pools system) about how to claim your prizes.

Gameday on Rocky Top Logo Tee

 

Here are the full results for last week:

Rank Selection Name W-L Pts Tie Breaker Game (30-24)
1 rsbrooks25 14-6 154 23-20
2 Keep on truckin’ 14-6 152 16-24
3 Timbuktu126 12-8 149 6-14
4 ThePowerT 14-6 147 21-19
5 Bulldog 85 13-7 145 20-27
6 mariettavol 12-8 144 16-19
7 MariettaVol1 13-7 143 23-15
8 mmmjtx 13-7 140 24-21**
8 JLPasour 13-7 140 28-42
10 RockyTop5 13-7 139 13-27
11 Fred4UT 11-9 136 13-27
12 UTSeven 12-8 134 27-20
13 Fightin Walking Horses 14-6 133 23-20**
13 cnyvol 11-9 133 17-27
13 DinnerJacket 11-9 133 13-27
13 TennRebel 12-8 133 10-24
17 alanmar 12-8 132 24-31**
17 UNDirish60 11-9 132 17-31
19 DMike 12-8 131 10-27
20 vols95 12-8 130 21-20**
20 PensacolaVolFan 13-7 130 10-0
20 dgibbs 12-8 130 13-27
23 Rossboro 12-8 129 21-0**
23 GeorgeMonkey 12-8 129 17-31
23 Jahiegel 12-8 129 15-31
26 Will Shelton 11-9 128 20-17**
26 birdjam 12-8 128 13-27
28 PAVolFan 11-9 127 14-34**
28 spartans100 12-8 127 14-31
30 tbone9591 12-8 126 28-21**
30 Jrstep 11-9 126 20-17
30 daetilus 11-9 126 19-14
30 Anaconda 11-9 126 18-30
34 Joel @ GRT 10-10 125 17-28
35 Phonies 11-9 120 35-28**
35 wedflatrock 10-10 120 17-38
35 C_hawkfan 10-10 120 15-30
35 Willewillm 10-10 120 14-24
39 tpi 11-9 119 0-0
40 tcarroll90 12-8 118 21-20**
40 chuckiepoo 11-9 118 24-27
40 jfarrar90 11-9 118 17-27
40 BZACHARY 10-10 118 0-0
44 Displaced_Vol_Fan 11-9 116 13-24
45 Rocky4 11-9 115 24-21
46 Volfan2002 11-9 114 17-31**
46 boro wvvol 10-10 114 17-24
48 mmb61 9-11 113 13-35**
48 ctull 11-9 113 10-28
50 Knottfair 11-9 111 17-31**
50 Dmorton 10-10 111 19-24
50 jstorie1 10-10 111 6-30
50 RockyPopPicks 10-10 111 10-24
50 Sam 11-9 111 13-16
50 rockytopinky 10-10 111 0-0
56 chatty daddy 10-10 110 13-42**
56 ga26engr 11-9 110 17-24
56 LuckyGuess 11-9 110 10-31
59 BlountVols 9-11 109 14-38
60 waltsspac 10-10 108 23-17**
60 crafdog 11-9 108 17-34
60 aquasox 10-10 108 15-24
63 Joelarbear 10-10 106 13-27**
63 VillaVol 12-8 106 11-28
65 King Nothing 11-9 104 15-35**
65 KeepsCornInAJar 10-10 104 13-34
65 Dylan pickle 10-10 104 13-14
68 ltvol99 11-9 100 17-24**
68 Jayyyy 9-11 100 17-20
70 Raven17 10-10 98 21-17
71 RandyH112 10-10 96 28-24**
71 TennVol95 in 3D! 10-10 96 17-10
71 BirdDawg55 8-12 96 17-52
74 patmd 10-10 94 17-42**
74 IndyVolFan 10-10 94 13-24
76 ddayvolsfan 9-11 93 17-27**
76 edgarmsmith 9-11 93 12-20
78 Brandon88 0-20 92 0-0**
78 VandyVol 0-20 92 -
78 War Birds 0-20 92 -
78 JohnCoctostan 0-20 92 -
78 BallerVawl 0-20 92 -
78 Pat OMalley 0-20 92 -
78 ChuckieTVol 0-20 92 -
78 utvol2 0-20 92 -
78 Techboy 0-20 92 -
78 Nick_Drake87 0-20 92 -
78 Orange Swarm 0-20 92 -
78 tallahasseevol 0-20 92 -
78 IBleedVolOrange 0-20 92 -
78 Gman15 0-20 92 -
78 CajunVol 0-20 92 -
78 Aaron Birkholz 0-20 92 -
78 OriginalVol1814 0-20 92 -
78 JWaldroop 0-20 92 -
78 Smokin Turkeys 0-20 92 -
78 I guess Randy Sanders was good after all 0-20 92 -

 

And this week:

Rank Selection Name W-L Pts Tie Breaker Game (58-21)
1 Jahiegel 17-3 184 42-18
2 wedflatrock 17-3 183 45-17
3 Anaconda 18-2 182 37-10
4 Bulldog 85 15-5 181 43-20**
4 Joel @ GRT 17-3 181 45-17
4 cnyvol 16-4 181 40-17
4 mmmjtx 17-3 181 41-14
8 spartans100 16-4 180 34-21**
8 birdjam 17-3 180 48-6
10 mmb61 15-5 179 40-24**
10 LuckyGuess 15-5 179 45-17
10 GeorgeMonkey 17-3 179 42-14
13 chatty daddy 16-4 178 42-13**
13 PAVolFan 16-4 178 37-17
13 Volfan2002 17-3 178 35-17
16 JLPasour 15-5 176 42-21**
16 ChuckieTVol 17-3 176 38-17
16 UTSeven 16-4 176 28-30
19 BZACHARY 16-4 175 0-0
20 jfarrar90 15-5 174 49-20**
20 C_hawkfan 16-4 174 42-14
22 vols95 16-4 173 42-21**
22 DMike 16-4 173 51-10
24 Displaced_Vol_Fan 17-3 172 48-10
25 Fred4UT 15-5 171 38-13
26 RockyTop5 14-6 169 45-16**
26 Fightin Walking Horses 15-5 169 27-30
26 tpi 16-4 169 0-0
29 rsbrooks25 15-5 166 38-27**
29 VillaVol 15-5 166 48-6
31 RockyPopPicks 15-5 165 0-0
32 alanmar 15-5 164 56-31**
32 jstorie1 14-6 164 45-14
32 Nick_Drake87 17-3 164 42-17
32 ctull 15-5 164 40-10
32 Sam 16-4 164 0-0
37 Dylan pickle 16-4 163 57-7**
37 Knottfair 15-5 163 42-17
37 UNDirish60 16-4 163 0-0
40 crafdog 15-5 162 37-10
41 Rocky4 14-6 160 52-17**
41 Willewillm 13-7 160 42-17
41 Rossboro 13-7 160 0-21
44 tbone9591 13-7 159 38-17**
44 tcarroll90 14-6 159 41-10
46 Raven17 14-6 157 50-20**
46 Jayyyy 15-5 157 49-20
46 chuckiepoo 14-6 157 39-20
46 MariettaVol1 13-7 157 38-13
50 dgibbs 13-7 155 48-13**
50 mariettavol 13-7 155 38-13
50 edgarmsmith 14-6 155 1000-3
53 Phonies 14-6 152 60-24**
53 ltvol99 12-8 152 38-10
53 TennRebel 14-6 152 38-9
53 Will Shelton 11-9 152 16-24
57 ThePowerT 14-6 151 42-28
58 Joelarbear 12-8 149 55-14
59 KeepsCornInAJar 13-7 148 49-10
60 RandyH112 13-7 147 52-20
61 Gman15 15-5 146 41-14
62 waltsspac 14-6 144 48-10**
62 Jrstep 14-6 144 24-31
64 Timbuktu126 14-6 141 28-17
65 King Nothing 13-7 140 49-13**
65 daetilus 12-8 140 41-20
65 DinnerJacket 14-6 140 42-10
68 BlountVols 12-8 137 42-14
69 IndyVolFan 14-6 135 56-17
70 boro wvvol 12-8 133 38-10
71 aquasox 12-8 126 55-6**
71 Keep on truckin’ 11-9 126 34-17
73 patmd 13-7 119 56-17
74 TennVol95 in 3D! 10-10 111 31-34
75 ga26engr 11-9 110 56-9
76 ddayvolsfan 11-9 97 42-16
77 PensacolaVolFan 9-11 82 40-20
78 JWaldroop 0-20 81 0-0**
78 VandyVol 0-20 81 -
78 Brandon88 0-20 81 -
78 War Birds 0-20 81 -
78 JohnCoctostan 0-20 81 -
78 BallerVawl 0-20 81 -
78 Pat OMalley 0-20 81 -
78 utvol2 0-20 81 -
78 Techboy 0-20 81 -
78 Orange Swarm 0-20 81 -
78 rockytopinky 0-20 81 -
78 BirdDawg55 0-20 81 -
78 tallahasseevol 0-20 81 -
78 Dmorton 0-20 81 -
78 IBleedVolOrange 0-20 81 -
78 CajunVol 0-20 81 -
78 Aaron Birkholz 0-20 81 -
78 OriginalVol1814 0-20 81 -
78 Smokin Turkeys 0-20 81 -
78 I guess Randy Sanders was good after all 0-20 81 -

 

 

C_hawkfan is still in the lead in the season standings. Here are the complete standings after Week 8:

Rank Player W/L Points
1 C_hawkfan 112-46 1261
2 cnyvol 105-53 1255
3 Jahiegel 112-46 1235
4 GeorgeMonkey 110-48 1229
5 wedflatrock 109-49 1228
5 birdjam 107-51 1228
5 Volfan2002 107-51 1228
8 BZACHARY 108-50 1226
9 Fred4UT 107-51 1224
10 RockyTop5 107-51 1220
11 PAVolFan 107-51 1219
12 spartans100 108-50 1216
13 Displaced_Vol_Fan 105-53 1214
14 Bulldog 85 102-56 1211
14 JLPasour 104-54 1211
16 VillaVol 107-51 1210
17 LuckyGuess 105-53 1209
18 Knottfair 108-50 1196
19 dgibbs 100-58 1193
19 MariettaVol1 101-57 1193
21 Will Shelton 99-59 1192
22 alanmar 105-53 1191
23 ctull 108-50 1188
24 mmmjtx 105-53 1186
25 Joelarbear 102-56 1183
25 UNDirish60 105-53 1183
27 jfarrar90 98-60 1181
27 chuckiepoo 102-56 1181
27 chatty daddy 103-55 1181
30 mmb61 99-59 1178
30 ChuckieTVol 92-66 1178
32 Jayyyy 102-56 1175
33 Rossboro 99-59 1171
34 Willewillm 100-58 1170
35 DinnerJacket 105-53 1164
36 ThePowerT 100-58 1162
37 DMike 94-64 1159
37 UTSeven 91-67 1159
39 boro wvvol 102-56 1157
40 jstorie1 100-58 1150
41 Raven17 97-61 1148
41 tcarroll90 99-59 1148
43 Rocky4 103-55 1146
44 mariettavol 89-69 1143
45 Fightin Walking Horses 101-57 1142
46 Timbuktu126 108-50 1139
47 Sam 97-61 1136
48 TennRebel 106-52 1133
49 vols95 95-63 1129
50 crafdog 106-52 1128
51 tpi 103-55 1124
52 RockyPopPicks 99-59 1123
53 daetilus 92-66 1117
54 tbone9591 95-63 1114
55 Joel @ GRT 97-61 1106
55 KeepsCornInAJar 98-60 1106
57 BlountVols 87-71 1093
58 RandyH112 85-73 1091
59 Anaconda 100-58 1089
60 rsbrooks25 100-58 1088
61 Dylan pickle 110-48 1084
62 Nick_Drake87 77-81 1083
63 Gman15 88-70 1074
64 Phonies 86-72 1070
65 Jrstep 87-71 1059
66 ddayvolsfan 97-61 1053
67 Keep on truckin 94-64 1043
67 Brandon88 72-86 1043
69 ga26engr 96-62 1038
70 edgarmsmith 91-67 1029
71 ltvol99 87-71 1024
72 aquasox 82-76 1023
73 JWaldroop 61-97 1018
73 Orange Swarm 73-85 1018
75 waltsspac 73-85 1015
76 TennVol95 in 3D! 87-71 981
77 rockytopinky 71-87 955
77 Dmorton 88-70 955
79 King Nothing 82-76 946
80 patmd 76-82 937
81 OriginalVol1814 47-111 929
82 IndyVolFan 83-75 918
83 BallerVawl 58-100 899
84 PensacolaVolFan 73-85 891
85 tallahasseevol 49-109 888
86 VandyVol 34-124 883
87 CajunVol 56-102 880
88 Techboy 70-88 867
89 War Birds 49-109 858
90 Smokin Turkeys 22-136 850
91 Pat OMalley 31-127 792
92 Aaron Birkholz 10-148 773
93 utvol2 11-147 772
94 IBleedVolOrange 10-148 735
95 BirdDawg55 17-141 728
96 I guess Randy Sanders was good after all 0-158 721
96 JohnCoctostan 0-158 721

Alabama 58, Tennessee 21: And now, for the rest of the season

The Tennessee Volunteers lost to a historically good Alabama Crimson Tide team today 58-21, but at the same time completed their time in The Gauntlet, a three-game stretch against Georgia, Auburn, and Alabama.

They survived. Beaten, but not broken. Pressed, but not crushed. And only time will tell, but they may even be stronger for the experience. (Assuming the injury that sidelined Jarrett Guarantano this afternoon doesn’t keep him out for long. But even then, Keller Chryst looked as good today as well.)

Oh, and instead of stumbling out of the exit with an anticipated 0-3 record, they even managed to emerge with a surprise win in hand.

Forget about getting trounced by Georgia and run over by Alabama on its way to the history books. The only thing that matters about those games now is that they’re over.

Now, the team turns its attention to the games that are really going to matter this season. Winnable games that can earn a bowl trip and the extra practice that goes with it.

Assuming a win against Charlotte gets Tennessee to four wins, Tennessee needs only two of South Carolina, No. 14 Kentucky, Missouri, and Vanderbilt to make Jeremy Pruitt’s first season a modest success.

South Carolina is 3-3 with losses to Georgia, Kentucky, and Texas A&M, and a mere 2-point victory over Missouri. They’re beatable.

Kentucky is ranked for good reason, but although they appear to be a worthy opponent, it’s fairly easy to rationalize away some of their wins. They’re especially good this year, but they’re nowhere near as good as either Georgia or Alabama. They can be beat as well.

Missouri is winless in conference play, although those losses came to Georgia, Alabama, and the aforementioned 2-pointer to South Carolina. They know how to score, but they also know how to lose.

And Vanderbilt, while not looking terrible, is certainly no better than Tennessee.

The goal the rest of the way, then, is to win two of those four games. It won’t be easy. Those teams are looking better than usual, and Tennessee’s rebuild is still a work in process and fragile enough to shatter.

Hopefully, this won’t be the case for any season beyond this one, but those games are as important this year as games against Florida, Georgia, and Alabama have been in years past.

Get two or more, go bowling. Get the extra practice. Tout the progress to as many blue-chip recruits as will listen. And then see how much more ground we can gain against the elites next season.

Winning two more SEC games the rest of the way is the path to getting better next year, when we can really start closing the gap against the nation’s best.

Forget Alabama for now. The Gamecocks are up next. They’re not Alabama or Georgia. They’re beatable.

So let’s do it.

Your Gameday Gameplan: Tennessee-Alabama

It’s Gameday on Rocky Top, with the 3-3 (1-2) Tennessee Vols hosting the 7-0 (4-0) Alabama Crimson Tide at 3:30 on CBS.

Here’s the Gameday Gameplan for Vols fans. Where and when to find the Vols game on TV, what other games to watch, and what to listen to and read as you wait for kickoff.

When is the Vols game, and what TV channel is it on?

Here are the particulars for today’s Tennessee game:

The best other games for Vols fans to watch today

Here’s our list of games to watch today, curated just for Vols fans:

Saturday, October 13, 2018
Away Home Time TV How Why
NOON SLATE
No. 6 Michigan No. 24 Michigan State 12:00 PM FOX Channel Hop Top 25 Matchup
AFTERNOON SLATE
No. 1 Alabama Tennessee 3:30 PM CBS Live Go Vols!
No. 16 NC State No. 3 Clemson 3:30 PM ESPN, WatchESPN DVR Top 25 Matchup
EVENING SLATE
No. 22 Mississippi State No. 5 LSU 7:00 PM ESPN, WatchESPN Channel Hop Top 25 Matchup
No. 12 Oregon No. 25 Washington State 7:30 PM FOX Channel Hop Top 25 Matchup
Vanderbilt No. 14 Kentucky 7:30 PM SECN, WatchESPN Channel Hop Future opponents

 

And here’s a searchable version of the entire college football TV schedule for the day:

Date Away Home Time TV
Thu Oct 18 Georgia State Arkansas State 7:30 PM ESPNU, WatchESPN
Thu Oct 18 Stanford Arizona State 9:00 PM ESPN, WatchESPN
Fri Oct 19 Colorado State Boise State 9:00 PM ESPN2, WatchESPN
Fri Oct 19 Air Force UNLV 10:00 PM CBSSN
Sat Oct 20 No. 6 Michigan No. 24 Michigan State 12:00 PM FOX
Sat Oct 20 Illinois No. 23 Wisconsin 12:00 PM FS1
Sat Oct 20 Maryland No. 19 Iowa 12:00 PM ESPN2, WatchESPN
Sat Oct 20 No. 20 Cincinnati Temple 12:00 PM ESPNU, WatchESPN
Sat Oct 20 No. 9 Oklahoma TCU 12:00 PM ABC, WatchESPN
Sat Oct 20 Auburn Ole Miss 12:00 PM ESPN, WatchESPN
Sat Oct 20 Buffalo Toledo 12:00 PM ESPN+
Sat Oct 20 Miami (OH) Army 12:00 PM CBSSN
Sat Oct 20 Northwestern Rutgers 12:00 PM BTN
Sat Oct 20 Tulsa Arkansas 12:00 PM SECN, WatchESPN
Sat Oct 20 North Carolina Syracuse 12:20 PM ACCNE, WatchESPN
Sat Oct 20 Virginia Duke 12:30 PM ACCNE, WatchESPN
Sat Oct 20 Bowling Green Ohio 2:00 PM ESPN3
Sat Oct 20 Idaho State Liberty 2:00 PM ESPN3
Sat Oct 20 Florida Atlantic Marshall 2:30 PM
Sat Oct 20 Utah State Wyoming 2:30 PM
Sat Oct 20 Charlotte Middle Tennessee 3:00 PM ESPN3
Sat Oct 20 Eastern Michigan Ball State 3:00 PM ESPN+
Sat Oct 20 Western Michigan Central Michigan 3:00 PM ESPN+
Sat Oct 20 No. 1 Alabama Tennessee 3:30 PM CBS
Sat Oct 20 No. 16 NC State No. 3 Clemson 3:30 PM ESPN, WatchESPN
Sat Oct 20 Colorado No. 15 Washington 3:30 PM FOX
Sat Oct 20 No. 18 Penn State Indiana 3:30 PM ABC, WatchESPN
Sat Oct 20 Akron Kent State 3:30 PM ESPN+
Sat Oct 20 Coastal Carolina UMass 3:30 PM
Sat Oct 20 Houston Navy 3:30 PM CBSSN
Sat Oct 20 Kansas Texas Tech 3:30 PM FS1
Sat Oct 20 Louisiana Appalachian State 3:30 PM ESPN+
Sat Oct 20 Minnesota Nebraska 3:30 PM BTN
Sat Oct 20 SMU Tulane 3:30 PM ESPNU, WatchESPN
Sat Oct 20 UTEP Louisiana Tech 3:30 PM ESPN+
Sat Oct 20 Wake Forest Florida State 3:30 PM ESPN2, WatchESPN
Sat Oct 20 California Oregon State 4:00 PM PAC12
Sat Oct 20 Georgia Southern New Mexico State 4:00 PM
Sat Oct 20 Memphis Missouri 4:00 PM SECN, WatchESPN
Sat Oct 20 No. 22 Mississippi State No. 5 LSU 7:00 PM ESPN, WatchESPN
Sat Oct 20 No. 10 UCF East Carolina 7:00 PM ESPN2, WatchESPN
Sat Oct 20 UConn No. 21 South Florida 7:00 PM CBSSN
Sat Oct 20 Texas State UL Monroe 7:00 PM ESPN3
Sat Oct 20 UTSA Southern Mississippi 7:00 PM ESPN+
Sat Oct 20 No. 12 Oregon No. 25 Washington State 7:30 PM FOX
Sat Oct 20 No. 2 Ohio State Purdue 7:30 PM ABC, WatchESPN
Sat Oct 20 Vanderbilt No. 14 Kentucky 7:30 PM SECN, WatchESPN
Sat Oct 20 Fresno State New Mexico 7:30 PM ESPNU, WatchESPN
Sat Oct 20 North Texas UAB 7:30 PM
Sat Oct 20 Old Dominion Western Kentucky 7:30 PM ESPN+
Sat Oct 20 Rice Florida Intl 7:30 PM ESPN+
Sat Oct 20 USC Utah 8:00 PM PAC12
Sat Oct 20 Arizona UCLA 10:30 PM ESPN2, WatchESPN
Sat Oct 20 San Jose State San Diego State 10:30 PM CBSSN
Sat Oct 20 Nevada Hawai'i 11:59 PM

 

GRT games and contests

While you’re waiting for the games to begin, make sure that you submit your answers to the GRT Guessing Game questions and update your picks for the GRT Pick ‘Em.

GRT game-week audio

Here’s Will’s regular Friday appearance with Josh Ward and Will West on WNML’s Sports 180:

Pre-game prep

And to catch up on on your pre-game reading, have a look at our game preview posts from earlier this week:

Go Vols!

Gameday on Rocky Top Guessing Game: Alabama edition

I’ve been moving the past couple of weeks, and in addition to having all of our stuff spread out over two locations a half hour apart and the thing you need always being in the other place, working without my regular space or equipment has been very discomforting. I did get to watch the Auburn game in a tailgate chair in my basement surrounded by boxes last Saturday, but I hated being mostly unplugged for the after-party.

What I’m saying is that there’s a reason for the recent lack of podcasts and the failure to announce the winners of last week’s Pick ‘Em and Guessing Game. Like the Vols, I’m making progress toward the goal, but I still have a ways to go. The Pick ‘Em and Guessing Game results for last week will be coming later, but I wanted to go ahead and get this week’s questions out there.

As always, you can find out everything you need to know here.

Let’sa go!

  1. Submit your answers to our three questions below.
  2. Click the “Submit” button.
  3. Copy and paste your answers in the comments below.

Good luck!

Tennessee-Alabama statsy preview: Georgia, Take 2?

After delving into the stats and comps this week, we emerge with what appears to be another put a phonebook in your pants game for the Vols this week against Alabama. But hey, if it’s looking like the Georgia game of a few weeks ago, perhaps just a little more improvement and a friendly home crowd will make it interesting even longer this time around.

Here are the predictions, stats, comps, and reasoning.

Predictions

SPM: Alabama 41, Tennessee 18

Eye- and gut-adjusted: Alabama 45, Tennessee 17

Tennessee rushing yards: 80

Alabama rushing yards: 230

Tennessee passing yards: 220

Alabama passing yards: 330

Tennessee points: 17

Alabama points: 45

Tennessee rushing

Tennessee is averaging 159.0 rushing yards per game, while Alabama is giving up 125.1 per game. The Vols have played no one better, but Auburn, which is giving up 125.9 yards per game on the ground, is pretty much the same. Tennessee got 68 against them. Based on all of that, my guess for rushing yards for Tennessee against Alabama is 80.

Alabama rushing

The Tennessee defense is allowing 152.7 rushing yards per game, while the Alabama run game is averaging 216.7 yards per game. The closest “not-as-good” comparison for a prior Tennessee opponent is Florida, which is getting 197.3 yards per game on the ground, and they got 201 against Tennessee. The closest “better-than” comparison for a prior Tennessee opponent is Georgia, which is averaging 226.3 rushing yards per game and got 251 against Tennessee. I’m guessing Alabama will get about 230 rushing yards against Tennessee’s defense.

Tennessee passing

Tennessee is averaging 207.0 passing yards per game, and Alabama is allowing 189.9. The closest “not-as-good” comparison for a prior Tennessee opponent is Auburn, which is giving up 208.0 yards per game through the air, and Tennessee put up 328 against them. The closest “better-than” comparison for a prior Tennessee opponent is UTEP. They’re allowing 189.0 passing yards per game, and Tennessee got 167 against them. My guess is that Tennessee will put up 220 passing yards this weekend.

Alabama passing

The Tennessee pass defense is allowing 205.8 passing yards per game. Alabama is getting 350.3. Tennessee’s played no one better. The closest “not-as-good” comparison for a prior Tennessee opponent is West Virginia, which is getting 320.5 yards per game through the air, and they got 429 against Tennessee. I’m going with Alabama putting up about 330 passing yards against Tennessee.

Tennessee scoring

Tennessee is averaging 26.7 points per game, and Alabama is allowing 15.1. The Vols have played no one better. The closest “not-as-good” comparison for a prior Tennessee opponent is Georgia, which is allowing 16.3 points per game, and Tennessee got 12 against them. My prediction is that Tennessee will score around 17 points against Alabama.

Alabama scoring

Tennessee is allowing 25.3 points per game. Alabama is averaging 53.6. Nobody’s better. The closest “not-as-good” comparison for a prior Tennessee opponent is Georgia, which is averaging 39.0 points, and they got 38 against Tennessee. I’m going with Alabama putting up about 45 points against Tennessee.

Comparison of predictions to other models and Vegas

Left alone, the SPM says Alabama 41, Tennessee 18, a spread of -23.

With eyeball and gut adjustments, I’m going with Alabama 45, Tennessee 17, a spread of -28.

Bill Connelly’s S&P+ says Tennessee has an 8% chance of winning and puts the score at Alabama 44.8, Tennessee 20.5, a spread of 24.3.

The Vegas spread favors Alabama by between 28.5 and 29, with an over/under of 56.5-57, which converts to something like Alabama 42, Tennessee 14.

ESPN’s FPI gives the Vols only a 5.7% chance of winning.

 

2018 college football TV schedule for Vols fans: Week 8

Gameday

Saturday, October 13, 2018
Away Home Time TV How Why
NOON SLATE
No. 6 Michigan No. 24 Michigan State 12:00 PM FOX Channel Hop Top 25 Matchup
AFTERNOON SLATE
No. 1 Alabama Tennessee 3:30 PM CBS Live Go Vols!
No. 16 NC State No. 3 Clemson 3:30 PM ESPN, WatchESPN DVR Top 25 Matchup
EVENING SLATE
No. 22 Mississippi State No. 5 LSU 7:00 PM ESPN, WatchESPN Channel Hop Top 25 Matchup
No. 12 Oregon No. 25 Washington State 7:30 PM FOX Channel Hop Top 25 Matchup
Vanderbilt No. 14 Kentucky 7:30 PM SECN, WatchESPN Channel Hop Future opponents

 

The noon slot this Saturday offers an appetizer for Vols fans in the form of a Top 25 matchup between No. 6 Michigan and No. 24 Michigan State on Fox.

Tennessee then hosts No. 1 Alabama at 3:30 on CBS. If you’re interested in checking in, channel-hopping, or score-/moment-watching, No. 16 NC State is also taking on No. 3 Clemson at the same time on ESPN.

There are several good games in the evening slot, including one between Top 25 SEC West teams, another between Top 25 Pac12 teams, and the most important one to Tennessee fans — a matchup between future Vols opponents No. 14 Kentucky and Vanderbilt.

Full sortable and searchable college football TV schedule

Date Away Home Time TV
Thu Oct 18 Georgia State Arkansas State 7:30 PM ESPNU, WatchESPN
Thu Oct 18 Stanford Arizona State 9:00 PM ESPN, WatchESPN
Fri Oct 19 Colorado State Boise State 9:00 PM ESPN2, WatchESPN
Fri Oct 19 Air Force UNLV 10:00 PM CBSSN
Sat Oct 20 No. 6 Michigan No. 24 Michigan State 12:00 PM FOX
Sat Oct 20 Illinois No. 23 Wisconsin 12:00 PM FS1
Sat Oct 20 Maryland No. 19 Iowa 12:00 PM ESPN2, WatchESPN
Sat Oct 20 No. 20 Cincinnati Temple 12:00 PM ESPNU, WatchESPN
Sat Oct 20 No. 9 Oklahoma TCU 12:00 PM ABC, WatchESPN
Sat Oct 20 Auburn Ole Miss 12:00 PM ESPN, WatchESPN
Sat Oct 20 Buffalo Toledo 12:00 PM ESPN+
Sat Oct 20 Miami (OH) Army 12:00 PM CBSSN
Sat Oct 20 Northwestern Rutgers 12:00 PM BTN
Sat Oct 20 Tulsa Arkansas 12:00 PM SECN, WatchESPN
Sat Oct 20 North Carolina Syracuse 12:20 PM ACCNE, WatchESPN
Sat Oct 20 Virginia Duke 12:30 PM ACCNE, WatchESPN
Sat Oct 20 Bowling Green Ohio 2:00 PM ESPN3
Sat Oct 20 Idaho State Liberty 2:00 PM ESPN3
Sat Oct 20 Florida Atlantic Marshall 2:30 PM
Sat Oct 20 Utah State Wyoming 2:30 PM
Sat Oct 20 Charlotte Middle Tennessee 3:00 PM ESPN3
Sat Oct 20 Eastern Michigan Ball State 3:00 PM ESPN+
Sat Oct 20 Western Michigan Central Michigan 3:00 PM ESPN+
Sat Oct 20 No. 1 Alabama Tennessee 3:30 PM CBS
Sat Oct 20 No. 16 NC State No. 3 Clemson 3:30 PM ESPN, WatchESPN
Sat Oct 20 Colorado No. 15 Washington 3:30 PM FOX
Sat Oct 20 No. 18 Penn State Indiana 3:30 PM ABC, WatchESPN
Sat Oct 20 Akron Kent State 3:30 PM ESPN+
Sat Oct 20 Coastal Carolina UMass 3:30 PM
Sat Oct 20 Houston Navy 3:30 PM CBSSN
Sat Oct 20 Kansas Texas Tech 3:30 PM FS1
Sat Oct 20 Louisiana Appalachian State 3:30 PM ESPN+
Sat Oct 20 Minnesota Nebraska 3:30 PM BTN
Sat Oct 20 SMU Tulane 3:30 PM ESPNU, WatchESPN
Sat Oct 20 UTEP Louisiana Tech 3:30 PM ESPN+
Sat Oct 20 Wake Forest Florida State 3:30 PM ESPN2, WatchESPN
Sat Oct 20 California Oregon State 4:00 PM PAC12
Sat Oct 20 Georgia Southern New Mexico State 4:00 PM
Sat Oct 20 Memphis Missouri 4:00 PM SECN, WatchESPN
Sat Oct 20 No. 22 Mississippi State No. 5 LSU 7:00 PM ESPN, WatchESPN
Sat Oct 20 No. 10 UCF East Carolina 7:00 PM ESPN2, WatchESPN
Sat Oct 20 UConn No. 21 South Florida 7:00 PM CBSSN
Sat Oct 20 Texas State UL Monroe 7:00 PM ESPN3
Sat Oct 20 UTSA Southern Mississippi 7:00 PM ESPN+
Sat Oct 20 No. 12 Oregon No. 25 Washington State 7:30 PM FOX
Sat Oct 20 No. 2 Ohio State Purdue 7:30 PM ABC, WatchESPN
Sat Oct 20 Vanderbilt No. 14 Kentucky 7:30 PM SECN, WatchESPN
Sat Oct 20 Fresno State New Mexico 7:30 PM ESPNU, WatchESPN
Sat Oct 20 North Texas UAB 7:30 PM
Sat Oct 20 Old Dominion Western Kentucky 7:30 PM ESPN+
Sat Oct 20 Rice Florida Intl 7:30 PM ESPN+
Sat Oct 20 USC Utah 8:00 PM PAC12
Sat Oct 20 Arizona UCLA 10:30 PM ESPN2, WatchESPN
Sat Oct 20 San Jose State San Diego State 10:30 PM CBSSN
Sat Oct 20 Nevada Hawai'i 11:59 PM

Tennessee Vols statistical rankings after Auburn

The Vols are in the middle of The Gauntlet, but so far, many of their national stat rankings are holding up pretty well.

Offense

When they pass, they are good at it, but the Vols aren’t really putting up a lot of passing yards. Some of that is likely due to a steadfast devotion to failing on first downs. I’m wondering how many of those tackles for loss allowed come on those first downs.

Defense

Not yet elite, but not bad, either.

Special Teams

Turnovers and Penalties

 

Updated projected win totals for the Vols after Auburn

A big win for the Vols this weekend not only made you feel better about the team for a moment but also has an impact on what to expect going forward and when to expect it.

My new expected win total:

  • This week: 6.3
  • Last week: 5.0
  • After Week 5: 4.9
  • After Week 4: 4.55
  • After Week 3: 5.5

I have Alabama at 15% (down from 5%), Kentucky down to 45% from 30%, South Carolina and Missouri down to 50% from 40%, Vanderbilt down to 75% from 60%, and Charlotte steady at 95%.

Use the form below to calculate yours and post it in the comments below the post.

Explanations are below, but here’s the updated chart for this week:

Tennessee Volunteers currently

Current record: 3-3 (1-2), 4th in the SEC East

  • Lost to #17 WVU*, 40-14
  • Beat ETSU, 59-3
  • Beat UTEP, 24-0
  • Lost to Florida, 47-21
  • Lost to #2 Georgia, 38-12
  • Beat #21 Auburn, 30-24
  • #1 Alabama, TBD
  • S Carolina, TBD
  • Charlotte, TBD
  • Kentucky, TBD
  • Missouri, TBD
  • Vanderbilt, TBD

The Vols’ past opponents

West Virginia Mountaineers

Current record: 5-1 (3-1), 2nd in Big 12, #13

  • Beat Tennessee*, 40-14
  • Beat YSU, 52-17
  • NC State, Canceled
  • Beat Kansas St, 35-6
  • Beat #25 Texas Tech, 42-34
  • Beat Kansas, 38-22
  • Lost to Iowa State, 30-14
  • Baylor, 7:00 PM ET FOX Sports 1
  • Texas, TBD
  • #17 TCU, TBD
  • #15 Oklahoma St, TBD
  • #5 Oklahoma, 8:00 PM ET

East Tennessee State Buccaneers

Current record: 6-1 (4-0)

  • Beat Mars Hill, 28-7
  • Lost to Tennessee, 59-3
  • Beat VMI, 27-24
  • Beat Furman, 29-27
  • Beat Chattanooga, 17-14
  • Beat Gardner-Webb, 45-0
  • Beat The Citadel, 26-23
  • Wofford, 1:30 PM ET ESPN+
  • W Carolina, 3:30 PM ET ESPN+
  • Mercer, 3:00 PM ET ESPN+
  • Samford, 1:00 PM ET

UTEP Miners

Current record: 0-6 (0-2), 6th in C-USA – West

  • Lost to N Arizona, 30-10
  • Lost to UNLV, 52-24
  • Lost to Tennessee, 24-0
  • Lost to New Mexico St, 27-20
  • Lost to UTSA, 30-21
  • Lost North Texas, 27-24
  • Bye
  • LA Tech, 3:30 PM ET ESPN+
  • UAB, 7:30 PM ET ESPN+
  • Rice, 3:30 PM ET
  • MTSU, 3:00 PM ET ESPN+
  • W Kentucky, 7:30 PM ET
  • Southern Miss, 3:00 PM ET ESPN+

Florida Gators

Current record: 6-1 (4-1), 1st in SEC – East, #11

  • Beat Charleston So, 53-6
  • Lost to Kentucky, 27-16
  • Beat Colorado St, 48-10
  • Beat Tennessee, 47-21
  • Beat #14 Miss St, 13-6
  • Beat #5 LSU, 27-19
  • Beat Vanderbilt, 37-27
  • #2 Georgia*, 3:30 PM ET CBS
  • Missouri, TBD
  • S Carolina, TBD
  • Idaho, TBD
  • Florida State, TBD

Georgia Bulldogs

Current record: 6-1 (4-1), 1st in SEC – East, #8

  • Beat Austin Peay, 45-0
  • Beat #24 S Carolina, 41-17
  • Beat MTSU, 49-7
  • Beat Missouri, 43-29
  • Beat Tennessee, 38-12
  • Beat Vanderbilt, 41-13
  • Lost to #13 LSU, 36-16
  • Florida*, 3:30 PM ET CBS
  • Kentucky, TBD
  • #9 Auburn, TBD
  • UMass, TBD
  • Georgia Tech, TBD

Auburn Tigers

Current record: 4-3 (1-3), 6th in SEC – West

  • Beat #6 Washington*, 21-16
  • Beat Alabama St, 63-9
  • Lost to #12 LSU, 22-21
  • Beat Arkansas, 34-3
  • Beat Southern Miss, 24-13
  • Lost to Miss St, 23-9
  • Lost to Tennessee, 30-24
  • Ole Miss, TBD
  • Texas A&M, TBD
  • Georgia, TBD
  • Liberty, TBD
  • Alabama, TBD

The Vols’ future opponents

Alabama Crimson Tide

Current record: 7-0 (4-0), 1st in SEC – West, #1

  • Beat Louisville*, 51-14
  • Beat Arkansas St, 57-7
  • Beat Ole Miss, 62-7
  • Beat #22 Texas A&M, 45-23
  • Beat Louisiana, 56-14
  • Beat Arkansas, 65-31
  • Beat Missouri, 39-10
  • Tennessee, TBD
  • LSU, TBD
  • Miss St, TBD
  • The Citadel, TBD
  • Auburn, TBD

South Carolina Gamecocks

Current record: 3-3 (2-3), 4th in SEC – East

  • Beat C. Carolina, 49-15
  • Lost to #3 Georgia, 41-17
  • Marshall, Canceled
  • Beat Vanderbilt, 37-14
  • Lost to Kentucky, 24-10
  • Beat Missouri, 37-35
  • Lost Texas A&M, 26-23
  • Tennessee, TBD
  • Ole Miss, TBD
  • Florida, TBD
  • Chattanooga, TBD
  • Clemson, TBD

Charlotte 49ers

Current record: 3-3 (2-1), 2nd in C-USA – East

  • Beat Fordham, 34-10
  • Lost to App St, 45-9
  • Beat Old Dominion, 28-25
  • Lost to UMass, 49-31
  • Lost to UAB, 28-7
  • Beat Western Kentucky, 40-14
  • MTSU, 3:00 PM ET
  • Southern Miss, 2:00 PM ET
  • Tennessee, TBD
  • Marshall, 2:30 PM ET ESPN+
  • FIU, 2:00 PM ET
  • FAU, 6:00 PM ET

Kentucky Wildcats

Current record: 5-1 (3-1), 3rd in SEC – East, #14

  • Beat Cent Michigan, 35-20
  • Beat #25 Florida, 27-16
  • Beat Murray State, 48-10
  • Beat #14 Miss St, 28-7
  • Beat S Carolina, 24-10
  • Lost to Texas A&M, 20-14
  • Bye
  • Vanderbilt, TBD
  • Missouri, TBD
  • Georgia, TBD
  • Tennessee, TBD
  • MTSU, TBD
  • Louisville, TBD

Missouri Tigers

Current record: 3-3 (0-3), 6th in SEC – East

  • Beat UT Martin, 51-14
  • Beat Wyoming, 40-13
  • Beat Purdue, 40-37
  • Lost to #2 Georgia, 43-29
  • Lost to South Carolina, 37-35
  • Lost to Alabama, 39-10
  • Memphis, TBD
  • Kentucky, TBD
  • Florida, TBD
  • Vanderbilt, TBD
  • Tennessee, TBD
  • Arkansas, 2:30 PM ET CBS

Vanderbilt Commodores

Current record: 3-4 (0-3), 6th in SEC – East

  • Beat MTSU, 35-7
  • Beat Nevada, 41-10
  • Lost to #8 Notre Dame, 22-17
  • Lost to S Carolina, 37-14
  • Beat Tennessee St, 31-27
  • Lost to Georgia, 41-13
  • Lost to Florida, 37-27
  • Kentucky, TBD
  • Arkansas, TBD
  • Missouri, TBD
  • Ole Miss, TBD
  • Tennessee, TBD

Gameday on Rocky Top Guessing Game: Auburn edition

It’s time for this week’s edition of the Gameday on Rocky Top Guessing Game. If you are wondering what that is exactly, you can find out everything you need to know here. Latest results are here.

Let’sa go!

  1. Submit your answers to our three questions below.
  2. Click the “Submit” button.
  3. Copy and paste your answers in the comments below.

Good luck!