SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum gave high praise to Butch Jones and the Tennessee Volunteers during Saturday’s live broadcast of “SEC Nation” from the University of Tennessee’s campus. Finebaum, a Tennessee alum, called the Vols’ season a “huge success” and predicted an SEC Championship Game appearance in the coming years.

“I wasn’t sure they could get to .500 to get to bowl eligibility,” Finebaum said. “They’re about to do that and they’ll continue to do that. The energy on this campus and what Butch Jones is doing has impressed me. We’ve seen this all over the SEC this year, but I think this is the hottest program in the Southeastern Conference. I’m not sure about next year, but in two years this program will be playing in Atlanta for the SEC Championship.”

Finebaum, along with co-hosts Tim Tebow and Marcus Spears, picked Tennessee to win Saturday against Missouri.