Tennessee winning presents a problem for Karl82. Losing, on the other hand, offers possibility.

For Karl and a certain strain of message-board Tennessee fan, the mere opportunity for a loss produces something close to a Pavlovian response.

The bell rings, the opponent appears, and somewhere deep in the nervous system comes the familiar little thrill: this could go badly. Georgia Tech offered the full stimulus package. Then Tennessee won, leaving Karl like Pavlov’s dog after somebody replaced the meat powder with a 21-point victory.

By Sunday, Karl was telling the fans who predicted 8–4 or 7–5 that they’d been right. He had dismissed their forecasts before the season; watching Tennessee win by 21 had changed his mind.

He confided in board back-channels that he was thinking 6–6 at best. Before taking it public, he ran it through the other miserable motherfuckers in his private little caucus of dread — men for whom a Tennessee win was merely an obstacle to clearer pessimism.

He laid out the case. Tennessee had the money, fan support and history to build a better roster. Instead, he saw an offensive line without stars, injuries on the defensive line and no bridge quarterback. The Vols were starting an 18-year-old freshman.

Faizon Brandon “is the real deal,” Karl conceded. You could almost hear the effort that cost him.

“In today’s world, for the big boys, it’s playoffs or bust,” he wrote. “Who cares about 8-4, playing in the Toilet Bowl, and waiting for next year? Not me.”

VolunteerHeart read Karl’s long statement of indifference and awarded him “NEW ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: Apathetic essayist.”

TrewVol brought up the game Tennessee had actually played: 299 rushing yards, one sack allowed, four sacks made, two interceptions and a three-touchdown win on the road.

“We played GT,” Karl replied.

He said it again. And again. Then he offered the thought that had been bothering him:

“Without those 2 plays, we could’ve lost!”

Sure. Take away the decisive plays and a win gets considerably harder. Karl’s larger worry—that the roster may struggle against better opponents—was at least worth discussing. His timing was less persuasive. He’d chosen the morning after a 21-point win to congratulate people for predicting four or five losses.

“There’s the real Karl,” Bluetick88 wrote.

“As predictable as it gets lmao STFU Karl,” added CrossVolle.

CPVol0211 went with: “Karl it’s gonna be ok bud, let it out.”

Asked whether he had enjoyed last season, Karl reached for Vanderbilt and a Tennessee legend:

“Really? You’re good with 8-4 and losing 3 times in Neyland? We got destroyed by Vandy. Cafego would role over in his grave!”

“Role” is Karl’s spelling. He was arguing about last season here, not the Georgia Tech score.

Karl may eventually get the evidence he’s looking for. Tennessee has tougher games ahead. For now, the Vols are 2–0, and he has had to explain why both wins left him feeling worse.

If Tennessee loses, somebody check on the rest of the board. Karl will be fine.