SEC football predictions: How will UT Vols respond to losing coach Butch Jones?

You never know how a coach’s departure will affect a team.

Sometimes, the team plays worse. Other times, it plays better.

Remember when Tennessee announced it was firing longtime coach Phillip Fulmer at the end of the 2008 season? With three games still to play, the players were devastated by the announcement.

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They responded by losing to Wyoming, which at the time was the second-worst team in the Mountain West Conference.

However, once past Wyoming, the players rallied around their outgoing coach and won back-to-back games against Vanderbilt and Kentucky to finish 5-7 and avoid becoming the first team in school history to lose eight games.

Four years later, UT fired coach Derek Dooley with one game remaining in the 2012 season. Offensive coordinator Jim Chaney took over as interim coach, and the Vols defeated Kentucky 37-16.   

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LSU 27, Tennessee 6: It wouldn’t matter who was coaching the Vols on Saturday at Neyland Stadium. They just don’t match up well against LSU, whose defense should have no problem beating down UT’s beleaguered offense.

Alabama 41, Mercer 0: Never mind what the schedule says. Alabama already should be readying itself for next week’s game against Auburn.

Auburn 48, Louisiana Monroe 10: The last time the Tigers played an opponent of this caliber, they didn’t exactly dazzle anyone in a 24-10 victory over Mercer. But don’t take my word for their improvement.

Check with Georgia.

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Mississippi State 32, Arkansas 20: Coming off a seven-point loss to Alabama, the Bulldogs still have a chance for a third nine-win season in four years.

You need to know their history to appreciate that. From 1981 through 1998, they never won more than eight games in a season.

Georgia 42, Kentucky 17: The Bulldogs hadn’t had a bad Saturday all season until they got waylaid by Auburn 40-17 last week. If they’re still suffering a hangover from that outcome, you won’t be able to tell it against the Wildcats, whose defense is way too soft to slow down Georgia’s running game.

Florida 31, UAB 20: Bet you didn’t see this coming: The Blazers are bowl eligible; the Gators aren’t.

Missouri 45, Vanderbilt 27: Bet you didn’t see this coming, either: The Tigers are two victories away from ending the season on a six-game winning streak.

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South Carolina, 34, Wofford 20: If any team deserves a bowl trip, it’s the Gamecocks. They haven’t traveled as far as 300 miles to a game since they played at Texas A&M the last Saturday in September.

Texas A&M 38, Ole Miss 37: Too bad the Rebels are ineligible for a bowl due to NCAA violations. Quarterback Jordan Ta’amu, subbing for an injured Shea Patterson, and all those talented wide receivers are worth paying to watch.

Record: 74-18 (.804) overall, 52-30 (.634) 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.