Tennessee won’t be expected to make a run at a national championship, an SEC title or even the SEC East this season. There’s simply too much rebuilding to be done to reach those lofty goals in Jeremy Pruitt’s first season as a head coach.

However, there are attainable, realistic goals. If the Vols can finish 6-6 or better and make a bowl game, that should be considered a successful season. UT simply doesn’t have the personnel in place to match its SEC rivals and it doesn’t have the personnel that best fits Pruitt’s approach to make any sort of semblance of a championship run.

The Vols could find themselves at 4-8 following this season if things go awry. It also wouldn’t be shocking to see the Vols make a strong push for 8-4. Here are five dream and disaster scenarios that could determine just how successful the Vols are in 2018.

Dream scenarios

1. Win September — or most of it: The Vols open with West Virginia and its high-powered offense in Charlotte, N.C., on Sept. 1. That’s no easy task. The Mountaineers are probably the better team, but the Vols will have the element of surprise on their side. No one knows exactly what UT’s defense nor its offense will look like. That could help the Vols.

After West Virginia, the Vols host ETSU and UTEP. Both should be wins. That would set the Vols up at 3-0 when they host Florida on Sept. 22. That type of start would give the Vols a huge home-field advantage. Remember, Florida’s roster needs a rebuild just like the Vols. Considering it’s in Knoxville, the Florida game is a winnable one for the Vols, especially if they have some early season momentum.

UT will play at Georgia on Sept. 29. A win in Athens, Ga., seems like a longshot for even the most optimistic Tennessee fan. Nevertheless, if the Vols can start the season 4-1 with a bye week looming, that’s a fantastic start.

2. Find consistency at quarterback: I’m constantly asked who will be UT’s starting quarterback. To put it quite simply, I have no idea. Reviews have been mixed concerning sophomore Jarrett Gurantano’s performance in spring practice. He and Keller Chryst, the graduate transfer from Stanford who enrolled at UT this summer, both have had accuracy problems during their careers.

Don’t be surprised if both play in UT’s opener or if the competition continues leading up to Florida. However, the Vols have to have enough confidence in either player to determine which direction they are going for the remainder of the season. Someone needs to win the job.

Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

3. Have the offensive line fall into place: Let’s assume junior Trey Smith is healthy this fall as we’ve been told he would be after missing spring practice with an undisclosed injury. Let’s assume junior Drew Richmond finally realizes his potential and Alabama transfer Brandon Kennedy makes a seamless transition. That’s a pretty good trio to anchor the Vols up front. However, those are all very big assumptions.

The Vols will still need some younger, less experienced players to fill in the gaps on the offensive line, but if Smith, Richmond and Kennedy can lead the way, the Vols will be much better off.

4. The Vols limit big plays: There are going to be some mistakes via blown coverages and bad run fits. That’s just part of breaking in a new defense. However, the Vols need to make opponents work for their points. UT just won’t be good enough to limit scoring if its defense continually gives up long plays.

5. The Vols lead the SEC in turnover margin: Much like limiting big plays, the Vols will have to make their own breaks by forcing turnovers and limiting turnovers on offense. With the talent disparagement that UT will often face this season, the Vols have to protect the football. That was a problem last season, when they finished -3 in turnover margin.

Disaster scenarios

1. The Vols don’t buy in: The change from former UT coach Butch Jones to Pruitt has been drastic. There’s a new offense, new defense and new coaching style in place. You can’t expect every player, many of whom were close to Jones, to be giddy about the change. However, those Vols who didn’t endorse the change need to realize they’ll be better off individually and as a team if they are allegiant to the new coaching staff.

With the lack of media availability, it’s hard to even speculate if UT’s players are all on board with Pruitt. They’d better be — especially if things go awry this season.

2. The Vols start the season 2-6: This is a very realistic scenario and would certainly be a disastrous beginning to the season. The Vols have two surefire wins in the first eight games: ETSU and UTEP. The rest of the early season schedule is pretty dicey. The Vols play West Virginia at Charlotte, host Florida, play at Georgia, play at Auburn before hosting Alabama and South Carolina. Eeesh.

Tennessee could easily be 2-6 after that stretch. If that’s the case, they’d have to win their last four games to be bowl eligible. That’s a lot of pressure for a rebuilding team that would understandably be a bit down after such a horrendous start.

3. A quarterback doesn’t step up: Offensive coordinator Tyson Helton doesn’t want to spend all season looking for a quarterback. Either Guarantano or Chryst need to grab the reins. If there’s an ongoing quarterback controversy, that won’t bode well for the Vols. UT has been in that situation before and it usually doesn’t result in a fantastic season.

4. The injuries continue: I don’t know if Jones was just unlucky when it came to injuries or if there was something fundamentally wrong with the Vols’ strength and conditioning program. Far too often, the Vols lost key players under Jones. That undermined any chance UT had to reach its potential. Tennessee doesn’t have the type of roster that can simply replace key players who suffer an injury.

5. The Vols don’t make a bowl game: UT fans are more realistic than I’ve ever seen them. Even the most passionate fan seems to realize that the Vols aren’t title worthy and likely won’t be for at least a couple of years. However, a 6-6 season and a bowl bid would be acceptable for realistic fans and a sign that Pruitt is on the right track. Not making a bowl game wouldn’t sit well with UT’s fan base.