Say what you want about Butch Jones.

He’s not living up to the Tennessee standard. He’s been given the short end of the stick. He’s a mediocre coach. He’s only getting this kind of rap because of the weird things he says. He doesn’t know how to operate an offense. He deserves another year.

At one point or another this year, you’ve probably heard those things said about the Tennessee coach. If you were at Neyland Stadium last Saturday for the Vols’ loss to South Carolina, you probably heard all of them.

Many thought that Jones was essentially coaching for his job on Saturday (myself included). So far, that hasn’t proven to be the case. For all we know, the Vols are planning on letting him ride this thing out for the rest of 2017.

Jones’ future in Knoxville is uncertain at best. Even the biggest Jones supporter in Rocky Top country can agree on that. There’s something else we should all agree on.

Any decisions made about Jones’ future should completely discount this weekend in Tuscaloosa.

Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Don’t take that message as another in support of the argument that Tennessee shouldn’t have to face Alabama every year. Nobody is giving the Vols a pass if they get crushed by the Tide. The Jones doubters will continue to voice their displeasure. Depending on how badly Tennessee loses, a few of Jones supporters could be converted.

But if Jones is indeed fighting for his job, Alabama is the wrong measuring stick. We don’t need 60 minutes of football to tell us that Tennessee is nowhere near Alabama’s level. Few in the country are.

Nobody in their right mind would tell a coach — no matter how bad his team is — to beat the No. 1 team in the country on the road in order to save his job. It’s unrealistic, especially for a program that doesn’t have a win vs. a top-10 team in a decade.

The wildest expectations Tennessee fans can possibly have heading into Saturday is that the game stays within three scores. For a team that scored two offensive touchdowns in three SEC games so far, that would be a minor miracle.

But for argument’s sake, let’s say the unthinkable happens.

Let’s say Alabama sleepwalks in the most un-Alabama fashion possible and Tennessee kicks a late field goal to win a 17-14 game. Vols fans go crazy and the college football world is as stunned as ever. Instead of spending his week hoping cheesy clichés catch on, Jones answers questions about how in the world he beat Alabama.

That shouldn’t change a thing.

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Jones would still be sitting at 1-3 in the SEC and essentially eliminated from the SEC East race in mid-October. The doubts about his ability to coach and maximize the potential of a top-flight recruiting class wouldn’t change just because he won a single game. Of course an Alabama win would add a huge what-have-you-done-for-me-lately argument to the mix.

But John Currie is going to do what he wants to do, regardless of what happens Saturday. A stunning upset wouldn’t change five years of data he has to make that decision.

What seems more realistic at this point is for Currie to make a move after the Kentucky game. If Jones and the Vols fall to 0-5 in SEC play, nobody will question Currie’s decision to fire Jones. That timing would make sense leading up to a homecoming game against Southern Mississippi. The last thing Currie wants to see is a UMass repeat.

It’s possible that Jones has coached his last game in Neyland Stadium. Many wished that happened before the South Carolina loss. Tennessee fans are tired of embarrassment, yet the stage is set for a healthy dose of that in Tuscaloosa this Saturday.

But even if Rocky Top reaches a new low at Alabama, Jones’ future should not depend on what the scoreboard says.

How fitting.