And the unreasonable expectations are already flying. 8.5 wins? Wow...
As a top end, maybe.
W - Georgia State
Push - BYU. Quality win over Wisconsin last year, absolute trash wins everywhere else. Finished 6-6 and will visit Neyland, edge to the Vols.
W - Chattanooga
L - Florida, we can't catch up quite yet.
L - UGA, nope
Push - Miss State. They lose a ton from their excellent defense. Will have a new QB. Game in Knoxville. Too close to call right now.
L - Bama.
Push - South Carolina. In Neyland, it's come to the last possession for years, but we are finally building up, not trending down. Game in Knoxville. Edge to the Vols
W - UAB. Not a cake walk, should be a win
W - KY. They lose Snell and the strength of their defense. Business as usual.
Push - Mizzou. They lose Lock which is HUGE. The 2 RB's return though. Game in Columbia. Freeze may have our offense ready to run with them. Edge, Mizzou
W - Vandy. Shurmur is gone. Shaw may be leaving soon. Game is in Knoxville. The team remembers some laying down the year before and will absolutely not let it happen again.
So I have 5 wins, 3 clear losses, and 4 games that can swing either way. It seems like 7 is a reasonable prediction, and 8.5 is not a far reach depending on how those push games shake out. A lot of variables to see play out. Upon closer examination, with Freeze, I would likely stick to a 6-8 win prediction.