SEC picks: Tennessee Vols will have big-play chances. Can they capitalize? | Adams

If Tennessee beats Pittsburgh on Saturday, it’s virtually assured of a 3-0 start for only the second time since 2004.

That tells us a couple of things: second-year coach Josh Heupel’s revitalization of UT football is ahead of schedule, and the Vols haven’t exactly flourished during the past 18 years.

Former coach Butch Jones won his first six games to open the 2016 season. Before that, Phillip Fulmer was the last Tennessee coach to begin a season 3-0 (in 2004).

I realize Game 3 has yet to be played. But let’s face it: beating Akron was a foregone conclusion as soon as the game was scheduled.

Beating Pittsburgh will be more challenging.

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Tennessee 41, Pittsburgh 34: Forget the adage: Games are won in the trenches, a reference to the line play that Jones characterized as a "fist fight in a phone booth." That has become outdated in this high-scoring era of up-tempo, spread offenses.

Otherwise, the Panthers likely would prevail Saturday at home since they’re probably better fortified in both offensive and defensive lines.

However, Tennessee can stretch a defense thin and wear it out with a pace few teams can match.

Pittsburgh's hard-charging defense can create big plays for itself and its opponent. The Vols will need to capitalize.

Alabama 45, Texas 23: The impossibility of a Nick Saban assistant beating a Saban-coached team is no longer in play. Texas A&M under coach Jimbo Fisher was the first (last October), and Georgia coach Kirby Smart did so in the national championship game.

Don’t expect that to become a trend. Just because Texas coach Steve Sarkisian ran Saban’s offense with flair and efficiency two years ago doesn’t mean he can run an offense against Alabama's defense.

Arkansas 37, South Carolina 27: The Razorbacks and Gamecocks will celebrate the 30th anniversary of their SEC membership with a far better game than they played in 1992.

Arkansas won its SEC debut over the Gamecocks 45-7. That was the second of five consecutive South Carolina losses to open the 1992 season.

The 1992 Razorbacks didn’t do much better. They lost four of their first five games, including the season opener to The Citadel.

Florida 30, Kentucky 27: Mark Stoops, who is in his 10th year as the Wildcats coach, has stabilized a once troubled program.

Since Kentucky hired Stoops after the 2012 season, Florida has had four coaches – Will Muschamp, Jim McElwain, Dan Mullen and now first-year coach Billy Napier.

Mississippi State 34, Arizona 31: Am I the only one who has trouble distinguishing Arizona from Arizona State?

The biggest difference between the schools: Arizona State has descended into mediocrity, and Arizona has descended into something much worse.

Another difference: Arizona State is coached by Herman Edwards, who was once a television regular; Arizona is coached by Jedd Fisch, who is readily recognized by most family members.

Kansas State 37, Missouri 24: Obviously, the Tigers meant to resume their series with Kansas, not Kansas State. But good administrators are hard to find these days.

As a result, Missouri will play Kansas State, which won eight games last season and is expected to contend for the Big 12 championship. Kansas went 2-10 last season and is a runaway pick to finish last in its conference.

Wake Forest 34, Vanderbilt 27: Anyone who takes the Commodores’ 2-0 record as proof they will win a conference game is new to SEC football. Not even Kentucky would stoop to playing Elon, and Hawaii’s defense seemingly was manned by players who were unacquainted prior to kickoff.

Georgia 59, Samford 7: The “Battle of the Bulldogs” (Yes, Samford is called that, too) has almost as good a ring as “Samford playing at Sanford Stadium.” I’m just glad I’m not covering the game, because I probably would call it “Samford Stadium.”

Wonder how Uga feels about beating up on less fortunate Bulldogs?

LSU 45, Southern 7: The “Battle of Baton Rouge” (my words, not anyone else’s) will be well received by anybody who advocates spending locally. Rather than pay big bucks for a sure win from a school in some far-flung state, the civic-minded Tigers have opted to bolster their record and the local economy at the same time.

Auburn 31, San Jose State 13: A Mountain West opponent should bring back wonderful memories for Bryan Harsin, who won 69 of 88 games as Boise State’s coach. After one tumultuous season at Auburn, Harsin probably would crawl back to a head-coaching job in the Pacific Northwest.

Texas A&M 38, Appalachian State 17: The Mountaineers' near upset of North Carolina in a 63-61 loss should have the Aggies on high alert. But Appalachian State will discover quickly Texas A&M takes defense a little more seriously than the Tar Heels do.

Ole Miss 45, Central Arkansas 10: On first glance, I got my “Centrals” confused and thought the Rebels were playing Central Florida. That would be an appealing matchup.

This won’t be.

Record: 12-2 (.857), 8-3 (.727) against the spread.

John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee Vols will have big-play opportunities vs. Pittsburgh. More SEC picks