Tennessee football’s Josh Heupel issues demand after huge Alabama takedown

The Tennessee football program picked up a huge 24-17 win over Alabama on Saturday to advance to 6-1 on the season, and head coach Josh Heupel spoke on what the win means for his team as it pursues a spot in the College Football Playoffs.

“I wish I could put blinders on, but I can’t,” Josh Heupel said, via GoVols247. “For us to be the team we want to be, we have to live in the present. … Good teams get better and this team has to continue to get better.”

After a couple of shaky weeks that included a 19-14 loss to Arkansas and a narrow 23-17 win against Florida, this win against Alabama is massive. Not only does it put the Vols at 6-1 towards the top of the SEC and in play for the conference championship game, but it gives Alabama two losses and knocks the Crimson Tide further down in the rankings. It will take a big run down the stretch for Alabama to make the playoffs.

Tennessee football looks to close SEC slate strong

After this win against Alabama, Tennessee will host Kentucky in a few weeks. After that, it is another home game against Mississippi State. Those are both games that Tennessee should expect to win. Following that game, Tennessee will play the biggest game remaining on the schedule on the road against Georgia. That is not necessarily a must-win situation, but it would be huge if Tennessee was able to get a road win against one of the best teams in the country.

After the clash against Georgia, the Vols have games remaining against UTEP and Vanderbilt. Both are games that Tennessee should be heavy favorites in.

The win against Alabama can’t be understated for Tennessee. Though there are some issues to resolve, specifically on offense. It will be interesting to see if Tennessee can get better the rest of the way like Heupel said.