Our long national nightmare is over. Game week is here.

The Fearless Prediction has been going through 2-a-days for weeks, putting in the extra hours to make sure that we bring you, the reader, the most informed and accurate prognostication of Tennessee football on the interwebs.

Let’s light the candle on the 2023 season with a look at the Volunteers opener against Virginia on Saturday afternoon.

This game will be played at Nissan Stadium in Nashville because that’s just what we do now. Despite the protests of most fans, college football is doing all it can to look more and more like the NFL. So, sure, why not continue to move games from campuses to soulless pro stadiums.

Tennessee was originally scheduled to open the 2023 season in Provo but instead paid BYU $2 million to buyout that game. This made sense for many reasons. The Vols will bring in extra revenue from ticket sales. More Tennessee fans will get to see the Vols play in Nashville than they would have in Utah. Recruits from the mid-state can show up in droves, too.

That all said, with non-conference Power 5 home-and-home matchups becoming more and more of a rarity, it’s a darn shame that Tennessee didn’t get to play a game at 1 of college football’s most scenic locations.

(Writer steps down from soapbox.)

As for the Virginia game, Tennessee enters as a massive favorite and why not? Josh Heupel has brought this program back from the dead. The Vols return a lot of talent from a team that went 11-2 a year ago. They have a 6th-year quarterback in Joe Milton who is now in command of what was the top offense in all of college football in 2022. The Vols are loaded at the skill positions on offense, and the defense should take a step up this season.

As for Virginia, it is breaking in a new QB in FCS transfer Tony Muskett. He completed 64% of his passes for nearly 5,700 yards and 51 scores in his 3 seasons at Monmouth, but obviously the competition will be tougher this season.

The Cavaliers also bring in Clemson transfer Kobe Pace. He had 641 rushing yards as a sophomore for the Tigers in 2021 but was injured for most of the 2022 season.

Virginia also lost its top 4 receivers. For an offense coming off a year when it ranked 126th in the country, the hill to climb remains steep.

On defense, the Cavaliers’ best player is defensive end Chico Bennett. He had 34 tackles and 7 sacks a year ago for Virginia, but he will miss the Tennessee game after suffering a non-contact knee injury during fall camp.

Tennessee and Virginia play in different conferences. They haven’t met since the 1991 Sugar Bowl and have only played each other 4 times. But is there some off-the-field drama between Tennessee and Virginia?

Sure!

Last week, Virginia head coach Tony Elliott gave reporters the impression that he turned down the Tennessee head coaching job back in 2021, when he was the offensive coordinator at Clemson. The Vols had just fired Jeremy Pruitt and newly hired athletics director Danny White was looking for his replacement. There was communication between both sides, but how far it went? That’s up for debate.

“When I evaluated, there were a lot of positive things about it,” Elliott said. “It just wasn’t the right time for me. So, when it came down to it, I prayed about it. So, it was close. But at the end of the day when I looked at the totality of everything, it just wasn’t the right time and fit for me.”

White responded to those comments on Twitter … or X … whatever it’s called. He wrote: “Interesting … don’t remember offering. Ignored this the first time, can’t do it again. An interview doesn’t constitute an offer. Interviewed several candidates, offered 1.”

Every now and then you see just a hint of #VolTwitter from Danny White.

In terms of fan representation, there won’t be very much neutral in this neutral-site affair in Nashville. Certainly, there will be some Virginia supporters who make the trip to watch the Cavaliers play while contributing tax dollars to the Tennessee economy on Broadway.

But this will be a de facto home game for Tennessee.

The Vols are seen as having the best chance of anyone to dethrone Georgia in the SEC East in this, the final season of divisional play in the conference. Meanwhile, Virginia was picked by the media to finish at the bottom of the ACC.

There will be tougher games for the Vols and better days ahead for the Cavs. This game will go as expected.

The best sport in the country also has the shortest season. All year long we wait for college football to arrive, but you are only guaranteed 12 chances to see your team play an actual game.

Let’s enjoy each and every 1 of them.

It’s Fearless Prediction time … Tennessee 55, Virginia 17.