Following the loss to TEX-ASS — as JimChetOfAll had been calling Texas since August — the message board had found three more losses, a possible fourth, and an offense that apparently no longer functioned.

bluetick88, the board’s resident Stoic and Greek philosopher, was still trying to understand the consequences of success. Tennessee had spent a large amount of time practicing the onside kick, setting it up, chasing the recovery — and then suddenly, holy shit, they had recovered the ball.

Oddly, nobody in orange seemed to have planned for the plays following the recovery.

Tick’s analysis was simpler. Tennessee was the dog chasing the car. The dog finally caught it, the car stopped, and dog knew what to do with the damn car.

In Year Six, Josh Heupel probably ought to have a plan for that parked car.

Karl82 tried to rally everybody with a thread titled “We absolutely can lose 6 games.”

Finally, some mature Board leadership.

Looking at the schedule, Karl began with Alabama and LSU as losses, discovered ways to lose to Auburn or Kentucky, then put Arkansas, South Carolina, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt in the win column — provided the offense could occasionally put the ball across the goal line without the defense or special teams doing it for them.

“I’m 8-4. I know 7-5 could happen. I pray 6-6 doesn’t.” 🙏

That is the current range: eight wins, seven wins, a fart in the wind, or prayer.

Major86 started at 7–5, briefly talked himself into 8–4, then remembered injuries and the offensive line coach and landed at 6–6.

Townsendvol set the ceiling at 8–4, the floor at 6–6, picked 8–4, then spent the rest of a post explaining why he didn’t believe his own prediction.

At this point, if Tennessee strings together a whole drive without the defense or special teams bailing them out, somebody ought to have the damn thing mounted over the fireplace.

VFF refused to move off 8–4. OrangeBuddha offered 7–5 without wasting a word. Mrs_checkerboard agreed. VOL124 quietly moved Texas A&M toward the loss column unless something changes.

One poster finally asked:

“So we are 6-6 after losing to the #1 team in the country by 3 points? Makes sense. lol”

It does make sense here.

Nearly beating Texas proved Texas was beatable. Losing to a beatable Texas proved Tennessee might and probably would lose to anybody.

Nobody asked to see the math a second time.

UTchuck54 says Tennessee can win six more and wants the team to flush the loss before Auburn. He had foolishly wandered into a four-page thread where grown men were already forecasting hypothetical injuries in the running back room.

The board has not given up on the season. It has simply pre-filed the disasters so nobody can accuse it of being surprised.

Auburn is next. For once, the board forecast a win.

Then VOL124 checked the weather.

Rain Saturday.

By Tuesday night, VOL124 had three radar apps open and had already decided a wet field favored Auburn. His wife asked why he was staring at the Weather Channel with the sound off. VOL124 didn’t answer. He was zooming in on a dark cloud over Neyland.

Related posts:
Karl82 May Enjoy Tennessee’s First Loss
Tennessee Lost to Texas. The Message Board Got to Work.
The Offensive-Line Thread Entered Its Sixth Year