CBS Sports makes bold early season QB prediction for the Tennessee Vols that seems reasonable

CBS Sports made a bold prediction this week for each team in the SEC, and their bold prediction for the Tennessee Vols centers around the quarterback position. 

The Vols are featuring a quarterback competition during fall camp between UCLA transfer Joey Aguilar, redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger, and true freshman George MacIntyre. 

CBS Sports' Brad Crawford predicted that multiple quarterbacks will start for the Vols early in the season. 

From CBS Sports: Multiple quarterbacks start games for the Vols early: Tennessee fans hoping Joey Aguilar will be a program savior, following Nico Iamaleava's transfer to UCLA, may want to temper their expectations. The Vols' decision to part ways with the quarterback who helped lead them to the CFP last season was one of the most surprising and potentially damaging moves across the Power Four this offseason -- and it could backfire in Knoxville.

Heupel has downplayed Iamaleava's departure and shifted focus to the three quarterbacks on the roster, but this is a pressure-filled situation. Tennessee opens the season with a challenging stretch, facing Syracuse and Georgia within the first three weeks.

Based on comments that we heard from Heupel this week, we know he's unlikely to use a two-quarterback system. 

But it wouldn't be shocking if the guy who wins the quarterback battle is benched a couple of weeks into the season if he proves to be ineffective. You never really know what you have until a quarterback plays under the lights on a Saturday in a conference game. 

If the competition during fall camp is close, then maybe Heupel turns to the runner-up early in the season if the winner of the starting quarterback battle struggles in his first couple of starts. 

It's worth pointing out that Tennessee plays Georgia in Week 3. That game should tell us a lot about what the Vols actually have at quarterback.